Greater Access to Alternative Care - Survey of Employee Benefit Specialists Very Encouraging
Dynamic Chiropractic Staff
The International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists has conducted a nationwide survey on the personal use of alternative care and employee benefits. Those surveyed included employee benefit specialists, consultants, plan administrators, insurers and managed care providers.
The results of the survey hold great promise for chiropractic and other forms of alternative care among employee benefit plans. The first set of questions were directed at the personal habits of employee benefits specialists:
45 percent of respondents used some form of alternative care in the last year.
20 percent of those who haven't used alternative care expect to or would consider doing so in the future.
Chiropractic was the third most used form of alternative care, with "well-being" the most common reason for using it:
The second section provides insight into future expectations, with questions specific to the current coverage and employers' attitudes:
67 percent expect the current interest in alternative care to be increasing.
46 percent believed that employer coverage of acupuncture will be as common as coverage of chiropractic is today within the next 10 years.
Perhaps the most important question addressed the obstacles preventing employer coverage:
The "Obstacles to Employer Coverage" list should be considered a potential agenda for chiropractic and other forms of alternative care seeking greater employer coverage. While public demand is fueling inclusion on a limited basis, the obstacles on the list are keeping many employees from enjoying the care they need.
Of the top three obstacles, research is coming along, but lack of consistent regulation and the need for greater public-relations endeavors continue to hamper full inclusion.
Building on a historic March 2026 meeting between Make America Healthy Again and chiropractic leadership, MAHA has announced the launch of the MAHA Chiropractic Hub, “a coordinated national partnership uniting MAHA Center, MAHA Action, and the chiropractic profession, including national associations, state organizations, practitioners, educators, researchers, and patient advocates. The Chiropractic Hub will advance federal policy, expand patient access, and build broad public support for chiropractic care across America.”
The chiropractic profession is confronting one of the most significant federal regulatory threats it has faced in decades. A new U.S. Department of Education (ED) accountability framework – commonly referred to as the “Do No Harm” (DNH) regulation – could place many chiropractic programs at risk of losing access to federal financial aid (student loans), potentially reshaping the future of chiropractic education and workforce development across the United States.
Pain has become the dominant language of musculoskeletal healthcare. Numeric pain-rating scales and symptom reports are routinely used as primary indicators of clinical success. But while pain reduction is meaningful, it is an incomplete and often misleading representation of recovery. This has real consequences for patient adherence, long-term outcomes, and how conservative care is perceived within the broader healthcare system.
