If you aren't already familiar with TRICARE, here's the scoop: It's the government-managed health care insurance program for U.S. uniformed service members, retirees and their families worldwide, currently providing coverage for 9.4 million – yes, you read that correctly – eligible beneficiaries.
Here's another scoop, and it's a huge one for the chiropractic profession: TRICARE appears poised to include chiropractic services in its coverage, according to Military.com,* which cites "a document distributed to military support organizations this week." According to the site, the document stipulates that the new policy providing chiropractic coverage will be proposed within the next few months, "issued in an official regulation change notice no later than early next year."
Currently, chiropractic is not covered by TRICARE; neither is acupuncture, which is also mentioned in the document as a service that will be covered per the proposed policy change.
While TRICARE does not cover chiropractic or acupuncture (yet), both services are available at a limited number of Veterans Administration and Department of Defense facilities.
TRICARE is particularly important because if the Military Health System, overseen by the DoD, or the VA cannot accommodate the demand for care, TRICARE provides coverage at civilian hospitals and health care facilities.
It is unclear as of press time which specific chiropractic (and acupuncture) services will be covered if and when the policy change takes effect, although according to Military.com, the document says covered services "must be proven safe and effective." Stay tuned.
*Military.com touts itself as "the largest online military and veteran membership organization" (10 million members). Membership is free and "connects servicemembers, military families and veterans to all the benefits of service – government benefits, scholarships, discounts, lifelong friends, mentors, great stories of military life or missions, and much more."
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.
The World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC) Board of Directors passed a “Policy on Non-Interference and Respect for National Authority” at its Q3 2024 meeting. Upon reading this, some might ask if the WFC policy is targeting the activities of the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) in providing international membership to Japanese individuals who do not hold a chiropractic degree from an accredited institution.
Part 3 of this three-part article on recogizing and diagnosing delayed-onset motor-vehicle acident (MVA) injuries in clinical practice coversspinal cord injury linked to cervical stenosis and spondylosis; alar sprain; and delayed instability. Part 1 discussed traumatic subdural hematoma, stroke due to MVA and traumatic central disc herniation; part 2 discussed traumatic Schmorl's nodes, post-concussion syndrome and posttraummatic syrinx.
