As a chiropractor in Phoenix, AZ I have been monitoring healthcare reform efforts closely.  My primary concern is preservation of a patient’s freedom to select a physician type (MD, DO, DC, etc.) based on where they feel they will be best served.  You deserve to choose chiropractic care without financial disincentives inflicted by insurance companies or the U.S. Government. 

Protect your right to access chiropractic care by clicking the following hyper link and joining  ChiroVoice. This chiropractic advocacy network can influence congress and policy makers in Washington.  You deserve to be heard and strength definitely lies in numbers. This group is well organized and will assist your communication with legislators.

There are many reasons for recent skyrocketing insurance costs. It is easy to assign blame to greedy individual insurers and health care facilities. In addition, the U.S. has a shrinking number of healthy working people paying insurance premiums compared to aging baby boomers who cost insurers far more than they individually paid into the system. Often overlooked are the expenses of evolving high tech diagnostic procedures and heroic life saving treatments.   Technology allows you to live longer and survive multiple high dollar treatments compared to years past.  As a result, insurance premiums continue to rise at rates greater than wage increases. At the state level, insurers have further eroded quality of care by successfully persuading lawmakers to enable discriminatory, bare boned policies stripped of chiropractic and other previously mandated coverage so they can temporarily offer less expensive plans.  The current healthcare system seems unsustainable. 

President Barack Obama has committed to reforming the U.S. healthcare system.   He is garnering support from House members, Senators, and the American public.  The Obama administration is advocating a government run insurance “public option” designed to compete with private insurance companies in an attempt to lower insurance costs.  This option may be of short term benefit to many who cannot afford or do not qualify for individual insurance plans.  Skeptics however, fear that a government takeover will decrease quality of health care, decrease physician reimbursement, and drive private insurers out of business.  If this happens we will be left with a socialistic style “one payor system” that ultimately could result in much increased taxes to individuals. Both small and large corporations likely will see an increased tax burdon and could cause a ripple effect of decreasing numbers of jobs being offered.  Worse yet we may see more off shoring of jobs as corporations set up shop in countries where it is easier to turn a profit.

Media attention has been diverted to headline atrocities such as the 47 million uninsured, rate of 14,000 people losing insurance coverage daily, and insolvency of Medicare by 2017.   In response, more than 3000 Lobbyists have flooded the Capitol in an attempt to influence voting with more than $262 million dollars spent  in the first 6 months of 2009 (more than half spent by drug makers).      

It is important that conservative low cost treatments offered by chiropractors are viewed as cost saving, essential coverage and not as add on or expendable luxuries in an already difficult to pay for government overhaul.  The American Chiropractic Association has taken the lead to help represent you.  Help them by joining ChiroVoice today.