New federal legislation would usher in an important change that is 50 years overdue.
Many individuals, and their families, have been touched by the opioid overuse crisis in the United States. The stats are sobering: between 1999-2022, nearly 727,000 people died from an opioid overdose. In addition, as many as one in four people who receive prescription opioids long term for non-cancer pain in primary care settings struggle with addiction. Historically, one of the most common conditions for which opioids have been prescribed is low back pain.
Seniors represent an especially vulnerable population when it comes to opioid use. That’s because the prevalence of painful musculoskeletal conditions such as chronic low back pain, neck pain and joint pain increases with age. Since half of Medicare enrollees already take four or more prescriptions for chronic conditions, adding a powerful prescription opioid pain killer to the mix could potentially increase the risk of disabling falls or even accidental overdose.
One of the ways the healthcare community has addressed the issue is by encouraging the use of non-drug treatments for musculoskeletal conditions and injuries before turning to prescription pain medications. Backed by the latest research, leading organizations such as the American College of Physicians, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the World Health Organization have all updated their clinical guidelines in recent years to promote the use of non-drug treatments as a first line of defense against common musculoskeletal pain.
Chiropractic Is a Part of the Solution to the Opioid Crisis
Doctors of chiropractic, as physician-level providers who are trained to diagnose conditions and provide a variety of evidence-based, non-drug treatments for musculoskeletal pain, are well positioned to deliver safe and effective pain management to seniors. However, it may be surprising to many to learn that chiropractors are limited under Medicare Part B to provide just one service to their Medicare patients.
What seems like a computer glitch is actually the result of an antiquated Medicare statute that was never updated. It was more than 50 years ago, in 1972, when Congress approved the inclusion of chiropractors in the Medicare program with the one and only service of manual manipulation of the spine. What should have been a placeholder for chiropractors that would be later expanded to include other Medicare-approved services they are licensed to provide became instead a barrier for Medicare patients, who over the years have had to make the unfortunate choice of either paying out of pocket for additional services at their chiropractor’s office or visiting an entirely different type of healthcare provider to access the care they need.
New federal legislation, the “Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act,” would at last update the Medicare statute that arbitrarily limits chiropractic services. For America’s seniors who are Medicare beneficiaries and also chiropractic patients, this will mean less out-of-pocket costs and logistical hassles. No more getting adjusted by your chiropractor and then having to schedule another appointment, on another day, with a different provider, for a service your chiropractor is licensed to provide and could have effectively rendered at the time of the first appointment.
Contact Congress: Your Voice Can Make a Difference
Help Congress understand how vital it is for Medicare patients to have better access to non-drug, covered pain management services available in their chiropractor’s clinic. Visit acatoday.org/Medicare, where you can easily send your representative and senators in Congress a message in support of the Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act. Your voice can make a difference for millions of seniors!
