Even when opportunity exists, execution often requires alignment – and fails miserably without it. For chiropractic, 2026 is shaping up as a big year for both. Alignment – which has proven challenging throughout chiropractic’s history – is driving execution on an unprecedented level.
First the March Chiropractic Summit meeting, the most inclusive since its inception, including attendance by Make America Healthy Again representatives. The meeting weeks later in Washington, D.C., between chiropractic and MAHA leadership. Then the May ACA-ICA joint statement on “shared intent to support ongoing collaboration to improve patient access to chiropractic care.” The launch of the MAHA Chiropractic Hub in June, outlining a multi-pronged initiative to expand and advance chiropractic by focusing on the profession’s long-standing priorities.
And now, that same historic alignment is tackling the #1 priority: Medicare modernization. The ACA, ICA and The Hub have signed a Memorandum of Understanding aligning policy priorities – specifically to “unite chiropractors and to advocate for updated Medicare coverage via H.R. 539 (S. 106 in the U.S. Senate), the Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act of 2025.”
Not only are the organizations united in passing the legislation – they will also “strengthen it through the formal amendment process with three improvements: defining the covered benefit by each state’s authorized scope of practice, with an express exclusion of drugs, surgery, and obstetrics (which are not routine parts of chiropractic practice and for which the profession is not seeking Medicare coverage); adding Medicare private contracting rights for doctors of chiropractic modeled on the existing physician framework; and including a timely implementation schedule.”
The goal is simple: Make the bill better while maintaining bipartisan support so it can pass in the 119th Congress, which runs until Jan. 3, 2027.
Medicare Modernization: The Common-Sense Rational
Brandon Hoffman, executive director of the Chiropractic Hub, emphasized the critical need for Medicare modernization with this straightforward statement for members of the House of Representatives and Senate:
“One in three American seniors lives with chronic pain, and Medicare, the program built to cover their care, still treats chiropractic like it is 1972. That year, chiropractors were recognized as physicians under Medicare, but coverage was limited to exactly one service: manual manipulation of the spine, commonly known as an adjustment. More than 50 years later, that is still the only chiropractic service Medicare pays for. Not the exam. Not the evaluation. Not the things a chiropractor's licensing board requires before care ever begins. Seniors deserve the ability to choose their healthcare provider and to receive the services each state's scope of practice authorizes.
“The Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act, H.R. 539 / S. 106, finally fixes that. When it passes, Medicare's chiropractic coverage will reflect what doctors of chiropractic are already licensed by their states to do, similar to the broader recognition already seen in the VA, Department of Defense, federal employee health plans, and private insurance. Nothing in the bill changes any state's scope of practice. Medicare is a payer, not a scope authority; it simply brings chiropractors into parity with other physician-level Medicare providers. The support is already there: 166 House cosponsors, nearly evenly split between the parties, and 15 in the Senate. What the bill needs now is a committee vote. That is exactly what constituent pressure produces.”
Three Things Every DC Can Do
- Engage: Sign up to receive updates on the Medicare legislation and other Chiropractic Hub activities and initiatives.
- Support: Every dollar donated to the Chiropractic Hub goes directly toward achieving The Hub’s chiropractic initiatives.
- Contact: Every U.S. representative needs to understand the value of chiropractic and the critical need for Medicare modernization. Visit the MAHA Action Legislative Tracker to determine if your elected representative supports H.R. 539 and how to contact them with precise messaging urging their support.
