|
CCA Fights Legislative Efforts to Limit
Chiropractic Care in Workers’ Compensation
As you may have learned from one of our several
faxes, listserv e-mails, Journal articles, or newsletter announcements, the
chiropractic profession is under attack this year in the state Legislature. CCA
has worked hard to kill several different legislative proposals that would harm
the chiropractic profession and your patients. Despite our best efforts, several
damaging proposals are being considered to limit medical costs in workers’
compensation.
All of the bills that proposed changes to workers’
compensation have moved to a conference committee. This allows the legislature
to consider all the various proposals at one time. CCA has had several meetings
with legislators and staff to discuss our concerns about the various workers’
compensation proposals that are being discussed but WE NEED YOUR HELP TO ENSURE
FINAL VICTORY!!
What you can do:
- Fax and mail a letter in opposition to any cap on
chiropractic care to your legislator and the likely members of the
conference committee.
- Call your legislator and the likely members of
the conference committee and ask them to oppose any cap on chiropractic
care.
- Ask your workers’ compensation patients to call
and write a letter in opposition to caps on chiropractic care.
You can look up your senator and assembly member in
your local yellow pages phone book or by visiting Project Vote Smart at http://www.vote-smart.org/index.htm
(look them up by your home address as you are the Assembly Member’s and
Senator’s constituent based on that address).
Likely Members of the Workers’ Compensation Conference Committee
Senator John Burton (D-San Francisco) Phone: (916)
445-1412 Fax: (916) 445-4722
Senator Richard Alarcon (D-Sun Valley) Phone: (916) 445-7928 Fax: (916)
324-6645
Senator Charles Poochigian (R-Fresno) Phone: (916) 445-9600 Fax: (916)
327-3523
Assembly Member Juan Vargas (D-San Diego) Phone: (916) 319-2079 Fax: (916)
319-2179
Assembly Member Sally Lieber (D-Mountain View) Phone: (916) 319-2022 Fax:
(916) 319-2122
Assembly Member Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles) Phone: (916) 319-2046 Fax: (916)
319-2146
Assembly Member Ken Maddox (R-Garden Grove) Phone: (916) 319-2068 Fax: (916)
319-2168
Below is a sample letter and list of arguments to
choose from. To have the greatest effectiveness, please use
your own words when possible in describing your opposition to the measure.
All letters to legislators can be sent to the same address.
The Honorable (legislator’s
first and last name)
California State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814
INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH: PLEASE PUT IN YOUR OWN WORDS; SOME EXAMPLES:
- I write to alert you to my concern
regarding the proposal originally contained in Senate Bill 354 (Speier).
- I am writing to express my opposition to
the sections of SB 354 that limited chiropractic visits under workers’
compensation.
- The purpose of this letter is to seek your
opposition to the part of Senate Bill 354, by Senator Speier, that
would limit access to chiropractic treatment under workers’
compensation.
MIDDLE PARAGRAPH: EXPLAIN IN YOUR OWN WORDS
WHY PASSAGE OF THIS BILL WOULD INCREASE COSTS; SOME EXAMPLES:
- Increasing premiums in workers’
compensation is clearly a significant problem in California that
requires a comprehensive solution. However, the cap on chiropractic
care will only increase costs.
- Caps on chiropractic care will only result
in increased workers’ compensation costs in California.
- Placing barriers to chiropractic treatment
will likely force injured workers’ toward more expensive, dangerous
and less effective treatments – including narcotic drug treatment,
spinal injections, selective nerve destruction and surgery.
- This bill would encourage injured workers
to abandon conservative care that benefits the patient for treatments
with higher risks.
- Chiropractors get injured workers back to
work fast. [Give an example of a patient that you were able to get
back to work after traditional medical care failed or when a patient
avoided surgery because of your treatment.]
- Furthermore, this bill will leave thousands
of injured workers’ without access to any care if the worker is
physically unable to take medication for their pain and is not a
surgical candidate.
- Respected medical journals have published
numerous peer-reviewed studies that show chiropractic care to be less
costly than medical care. This bill would restrict access to treatment
that restores function without the use of expensive drugs or surgery.
CLOSING PARAGRAPH: AGAIN, IN YOUR OWN
WORDS; SOME EXAMPLES:
- Thank you in advance for your consideration
of my concerns.
- I trust you share my concern and will join
me in opposing SB 354.
- In the event I may be of assistance on this
matter, please contact me at (XXX) XXX-XXXX.
|
****************************************
Kristine Shultz
Director of Governmental Affairs
California Chiropractic Association
1600 Sacramento Inn Way, Suite 106
Sacramento, CA 95815-3458
Work: (916) 648-2727 ext. 130
Fax: (916) 648-2738
Mobile: (916) 752-1671
E-Mail: kshultz@calchiro.org
Internet: www.calchiro.org
"The opinions, comments and calls to action expressed herein are those of
the writer only and not the California Chiropractic Association." Support
CCA - Shop online at: http://www.calchiro.org
| 
.
