Personal Injury / Legal

390,000 Patients vs. 38 Who Received Chiropractic Care!

Michael Pedigo, DC

I have written several articles about the lawsuit ACA filed against HCFA over the Medicare issue. The lawsuit warrants yet another article, but this one is going to be short. I want to make a point that I believe strongly demonstrates the importance of the lawsuit.

One of the key points in the lawsuit is that because of HCFA's illegal regulation, non-chiropractors are allowed to render spinal manipulation to Medicare patients in HMOs, and chiropractic care rendered by chiropractors is being eliminated. Nothing drives that concern home like the following information ACA recently received.

The ACA, using the Freedom of Information Act, requested how much chiropractic care was being provided to Medicare patients in large HMOs. Here's just one example: PacifiCare of California reported they had 390,000 Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in its plan in 1996. Are you sitting down? Of those 390,000 members, only 38 received chiropractic care, and we don't even know if a doctor of chiropractic performed those 38!

Your support of this lawsuit is critical to its success. Send your checks to ACA's HCFA lawsuit:

Legal Action Fund/
HCFA Lawsuit
P.O. Box 75359
Baltimore, MD 21275

September 1999
print pdf
Trending
News / Profession
MAHA Launches Chiropractic Hub
MAHA Launches Chiropractic Hub

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.”

 |  Digital Exclusive
Dynamic Chiropractic Staff
Education & Seminars
Confronting the Threat to Chiropractic Education
Confronting the Threat to Chiropractic Education

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.

 |  Digital Exclusive
Healthcare / Public Health
From Pain Scores to Performance Metrics
From Pain Scores to Performance Metrics

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.

Christopher Proulx, DC, PhD(ABD), CSCS