A Call for Medical Savings Accounts
Dear Editor:
As chiropractic matured, many of us wanted insurance equality. A majority of DCs saw this as becoming the equivalent of MDs, and as a way of increased income. In many states, we got our wishes, as the rules changed and the HMOs became the primary economic force in health care.
HMOs have changed the rules forever, and the gravy train has ended, and as low men on the HMO totem pole, we have wound up receiving less pay for equal, if not superior, work. The problem persists, and there is no relief in sight. This year, the governor of Massachusetts dropped chiropractic care from that state's Medicaid program, and he will not be the last governor to cut us out of the state budget. We should not cry about this; we should become proactive! Our nation is in financial trouble, and every state needs to trim costs and reduce taxes - and it needs to be done now!
What's the answer? We need to push government into dissolving all medical insurance, and replacing it with a program that saves money and puts the choice of care squarely where it belongs: with the patient! Medical savings accounts can do this! The medical savings account limits reimbursement and makes the playing field level for all, not just the selected few, and the patient makes the decision on whose care he or she seeks and pays for - not some insurance executive with an interest in one type of care over another.
Are we afraid of competition from the medical community? Our patient satisfaction numbers are higher than theirs, and our patients deserve the power to choose who cares for them! As the economy continues to suffer, we should all be seeking ways to help contain costs, and chiropractic care has proven to be one of the most cost-effective methods of health care. Doesn't it make sense to take the lead in health care for a change?
James C. Watson, DC
Canandaigua, New York
Pennsylvanian and Proud Dear Editor:
I always enjoy reading Dynamic Chiropractic. It is simply "Dynamic!" Your recent editorial, "Giving New Doctors a Boost" [March 24], was just what the doctor ordered! I concur with you in many ways - the future doctors need our support to help them through the lean years. It is our responsibility to help them; and each association and veteran provider needs to give back to his or her profession.
In Pensylvania, I am proud of one way we offer doctors a helping hand: Over a year ago, we initiated the "new doctor" program. This includes a seminar offered to the DC who has been in practice less than two years - and is conducted at no cost to him or her. We have also instituted with vendors a new service: "official sponsorship." So far, we have three vendors who offer their products to members at a discounted price. For doctors who are not yet members of the PCA, the discount is offered to offset the cost of their memberships, or to our legal, PAC or education funds. In addition to these developments, we also have plans to create a for-profit buying group.
Gene Veno, DC
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
"Take That, Evildoers!" Dear Editor:
I am thankful we have a legal system in this country that sometimes works. The CCE, or Council of Chiropractic Evildoers, has finally been exposed for some of its dirty little tricks. It has misused the trust that was placed in its members in an attempt to destroy Life University, which has graduated thousands of competent chiropractors. These scoundrels should be held liable for all the mental and financial losses that have occurred.
Ronald E. Bergman, DC
Tulsa, Oklahoma
