In a landmark development, Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) has reached a $2.8 billion settlement to resolve antitrust claims brought by health care providers, including chiropractors. The lawsuit accused BCBS of dividing the nation into exclusive regions and limiting competition, which resulted in lower reimbursements for providers. Although BCBS denies any wrongdoing, the company agreed to the settlement to avoid lengthy litigation – and you can get a piece of the pie.
ACA Places Full-Page Ads in National Publications
The release of the federal guidelines on acute low back pain from the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR), has prompted the American Chiropractic Association to take out full-page ads in a number of prominent publications.
- Dec. 12, 1994 issue of USA Today (#1 newspaper circulation in US)
- Wall Street Journal (#2 newspaper circulation in US) Western edition, Dec. 14 Washington/Baltimore edition, Dec. 16
- Business Week, Dec. 26
- Roll Call, January 23 or 26, Congress' "Welcome Back" issue.
The ads highlights these facts:
- the government's finding that spinal manipulation is a safe and effective treatment for acute low back problems, the most common health problem affecting Americans;
- the recent Harris poll survey that revealed back patients were more satisfied with chiropractic than other types of care; that 70 percent of Americans believed chiropractic should be included as a basic benefit in health plans;
- the RAND study's finding that spinal manipulation was an appropriate treatment for acute low back pain, and that 94 percent of all manipulations were performed by DCs.