WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The annual National Chiropractic Legislative Conference (NCLC) was held March 5-6. The mornings sessions were spent listening to speeches on chiropractic by congressional representatives, and presentations by the staff and officers of the American Chiropractic Association (ACA). During the afternoon, attending DCs and students visited their senators and representatives to express the concerns of the chiropractic profession, particularly as it pertained to the PARCA bill.
The PARCA bill (Patient Access to Responsible Care Act) was introduced into Congress by Representative Charles Norwood (R-GA) and Senator Alfonse D'Amato (R-NY). While PARCA provides patients with many important benefits and protections, it would mandate that all employees have access to a health care plan with a point-of-service (POS) option, and prohibit discrimination of providers "solely based on their license." PARCA currently enjoys over 220 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives.
The following is an offering of interesting comments made by some of the legislators who spoke at the NCLC:
Congressman Charles Norwood (who was a dentist): "I remember when it was a doctor-patient relationship. I have touched patients. I have taken an ethics course.
"PARCA is about accountability and choice. The American people will make right choices about their health care if they can understand and have a choice."
House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-MO): "In improving health care, we don't want to get to the point where we have a bureaucrat making decisions based on the bottom line. It is time in America to return decisions back to the patient and provider and not (let them be) made by Wall Street."
Congressman John Dingell (D-MI): "You (chiropractors) have made life better and bearable for millions of people. You have improved their quality of life. People should have the ability to get to you."
Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA): "We've got to open up health care for the American people today, because the cartel that controls health care is driving this country into bankruptcy."
When sports chiropractors first appeared at the Olympic Games in the 1980s, it was alongside individual athletes who had experienced the benefits of chiropractic care in their training and recovery processes at home. Fast forward to Paris 2024, where chiropractic care was available in the polyclinic for all athletes, and the attitude has now evolved to recognize that “every athlete deserves access to sports chiropractic."
It is estimated that 61% of patients with CTS avoid taking surgical options due to postoperative complications and costly surgical procedures. Chiropractic care offers a comprehensive and effective treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome, addressing the condition from multiple angles. Recent studies also have unveiled a game-changing adjunct to chiropractic treatments for CTS: nerve flossing.
Some doctors thrive in a personality-based clinic and have a loyal following no matter what services or equipment they offer, but for most chiropractic offices who are trying to grow and expand, new equipment purchases help us stay relevant and continue to service our client base in the best, most up-to-date manner possible. So, regarding equipment purchasing: should you lease, get a bank loan, or pay cash?
