Gorman vs. Northup

The Gorman vs. Northup congressional race is attracting attention. The August 4, 1998 issue of the Wall Street Journal stated: "Their race may emerge as a bellwether of public sentiment."

What's it all about? Managed care reform. Across the United States, the issue of managed care reform has been at the forefront of the political debates of almost every race. That same Wall Street Journal article quoted a recent poll which "showed that 79% of adults believe new laws are needed to regulate HMOs with the Democratic plan preferred by a majority."

In the race for the congressional seat in Kentucky's third district, the incumbent is first-term Republican Anne Northup. She refused to support the PARCA bill, preferring instead to support Republican legislation that does very little to address the hurdles managed care patients must overcome to see a chiropractor.

The challenger, Chris Gorman, is a Democrat and a chiropractic patient. In an interview with the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), Mr. Gorman expressed his support for the provision needed to protect DCs and their patients:

"I would have co-sponsored PARCA and will co-sponsor the existing successor, the Dingell bill. I would support the (new) PARCA legislation. I think doctors and patients need to make medical decisions rather than HMOs and insurance companies. I think that ERISA pre-emption has just been used to create so many obscene situations. I've got a list of 200 examples of really obscene things that have occurred. Because HMOs have played a heavy hand because they didn't have the fear that they could be sued."

Regarding his opponent, Mr. Gorman remarked:

"She's taken tens of thousands of dollars from the insurance companies and HMOs and she's carried their water in Congress. She is opposed 100% to PARCA and the Democratic bill. I would have co-sponsored both of those bills and I support a stronger point-of-service provision which your association is fighting for."

Jay Witter IV, ACA's assistant director of government relations for the ACA, expressed his anguish over comments he heard made by Representative Northup at a meeting:

"It was disheartening for me to see after all the progress that the chiropractic profession has made on Capitol Hill since the Wilk antitrust case, Representative Ann Northup make disparaging and discriminatory remarks about chiropractors."

To learn more about Chris Gorman, you can visit his web site ([url=http://www.gorman98.com]http://www.gorman98.com[/url]).

Chiropractors in Kentucky's third district are encouraged to spread the word about Chris Gorman to their patients and actively support his campaign. This is especially important in light of Anne Northup's failure to support PARCA and her cavalier comments. Those outside the district can help by sending donations to:

Gorman for Congress
P.O. Box 36608
Louisville, KY 40233
Tel: (502) 451-2383
Fax: (502) 451-2344

Remember, you don't have to send a lot of money. Send what you can, and know that Chris Gorman will not forget chiropractic when he is elected.