There is potential new legislation that has been recently introduced that would require Tricare to provide chiropractic services to its members and their families. As the January 15th article posted on the NGAUS website notes “NGAUS is supporting bipartisan legislation aimed at expanding access to chiropractic health care for the National Guard, Reserves and military retirees.” Leading the discussion are Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., and Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, who introduced the Chiropractic Health Parity for Military Beneficiaries Act last week. If passed and signed into law, the bill would require TRICARE to cover chiropractic services for all service members, active and retired, and non-activated reservists.
Their website announces that “NGAUS is pleased to support this legislation addressing chiropractic health care services as part of the TRICARE program,” said retired Brig. Gen. J. Roy Robinson, the association president. “NGAUS continues to advocate to close the current gaps in health care coverage for our National Guard service members. NGAUS believes this legislation is an important step in affording our reserve-component service men and women the ability to access the types of healthcare their active duty counterparts receive.”
An interesting addition to the article is the note that “expanding the coverage is part of the senator’s efforts to address the ongoing opioid epidemic by providing access to alternative treatments for chronic pain.” As Baldwin is quoted in the article stating that she has “heard from Wisconsin veterans who are in desperate need of chiropractic health services so they can access non-opioid pain management care and live healthier lives. My bipartisan legislation with Senator Moran would make sure these individuals can get the health care benefits they’ve earned and deserve.”
Moran said current limits to TRICARE leaves many retirees and Reservists at a disadvantage. “Many of the brave men and women who serve our country have sustained back and other neuromusculoskeletal injuries that can be treated through chiropractic care,” he said. “This bill will increase access to chiropractic care by expanding TRICARE coverage for military retirees and all reservists, which is something I’ve advocated to the VA many times over. The men and women of our Armed Forces, past and present, deserve access to the same care they received while on active duty to prevent a lapse in care.”
As the article points out the legislation is also supported by the American Chiropractic Association, Armed Forces Retirees Association, the National Military and Veterans Alliance and Veterans for Common Sense, among others.
To learn more follow the link below to the original article;
https://www.ngaus.org/about-ngaus/newsroom/chiropractic-bill-would-support-guard
And, as always, for any questions or to schedule an appointment at our Mount Pleasant chiropractic office please call Mount Pleasant Spine Center at 843-416-8012.