Pendleton and Eastern Oregonian Medicare recipients need to contact Congressman Greg Walden and ask him to support and co-sponsor The Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act, H.R. 3654, a bipartisan bill just introduced in Congress by Representatives Brian Higgins (D-NY) and Tom Reed (R-NY).

This legislation will provide Medicare patient access to all Medicare-covered benefits allowable under a chiropractor’s scope of practice. America’s seniors need and deserve access to chiropractic’s broad-based services for common conditions that cause acute and chronic back and neck pain. However, Medicare currently will not pay for a chiropractor’s consultation, physical examination, X-rays, physiotherapies, exercise therapy, etc., which of course is nonsense.

This bill does not add new services, it provides Medicare patients the freedom to access chiropractic care directly and by so doing will save the Medicare program money. A study published by the The American Board of Family Medicine (Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 28(4):481-490, 2015) reported for Medicare patients with back and/or neck pain, availability of chiropractic care reduced the number of primary care physician visits, resulting in an annual savings of $85.5 million.

Members of Congress want to hear from you, the constituent voter, more than anyone else. Seniors can contact Congressman Walden’s Washington, D.C., office at 202-225-6730. Staff will answer the phone, or if you receive a recorded message, ask Greg to support H.R. 3654, The Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act.

Dr. Vern Saboe

Oregon and American Chiropractic Association

Albany