Joint Policy Statement on National Healthcare Reform: The Chiropractic Perspective

The leadership of the chiropractic profession is united in its belief that effective national
heath care reform will only achieve maximum benefit for the American people when
coupled with a broad transformational paradigm shift to a forward thinking and
progressive health system that focuses upon comprehensive wellness care, healthful
lifestyle choices and disease prevention. We believe that such reform is urgent in the
face of the looming provider shortage and the unprecedented demands our aging
population will place on the system.
Decision makers should seek to affirm and expand patient freedoms to allow for full
direct access to the providers and health care pathways of their choice. Every patient
should have the right to choose and be reimbursed for all health care services from
doctors of chiropractic without barriers and limitations that unfairly restrict their freedom
of choice. Arbitrary anti-competitive barriers only serve to drive up costs, limit patient
choice and erode the quality and timeliness of care by steering patients to more
expensive hospital, surgical and pharmaceutical care.
In a properly reoriented health delivery system – one that places an appropriate emphasis
on wellness and preventive care – chiropractic care would rightly be viewed as an
essential element of any health plan seeking to provide an adequate range of basic health
care services.
The chiropractic profession recommends that this new system include three pillars vital to
the health reform movement. The essential services provided by a doctor of chiropractic
address these three pillars: