ACA UPDATE House Passes Health Care Reform Bill Historic Pro-Chiropractic Provisions Will Become Law

■ Tin- U.S. House of Representatives passed HR 3590, the Senate-passed version or national health care reform legisla­tion, March 21,2010. This means that the provisions contained in HR 3590 now only await President Obama's signature to be enacted into law. These provisions include an important provider non-discrimination provision long championed by the American Chiropractic Association (ACA). The provider non-discrimination provision (Section 2706) to be enacted into law reads in part: "A group health plan and a health insurance issuer offering group or individual health insurance coverage shall not discriminate with respect to participation under the plan or coverage against any health care provider who is acting within the scope of that provider's license or certification under applicable State law." Additionally, the legislation passed by the House includes two other provisions that impact the chiropractic profession. Doctors of chiropractic are specifically included as potential members of interdisciplinary community health teams. These teams support the development of medical homes by increasing access to comprehensive, community based, coordinated care. Community health teams are integrated teams of providers that include primary care providers, specialists, other clinicians, li­censed integrative health professionals and community resources to enhance patient care, wellness and lifestyle improvements. The language in the bill guarantees that the need for doctors of chiropractic will be addressed when considering federal health care workforce programs, another very important inclusion. ACA will also respond to any future legislation such as "technical corrections" and other modifications that might be considered. Dr. McMichael noted, "Our partners on the Chiropractic Summit were important team members in secur­ing these critical inclusions for the benefit of our profession and our doctors. We thank all team members for their good collaborative work on this major effort and future efforts to come." Source: acatoday.org