CHIROPRACTORS
ASSOCIATION
Leading the World of Chiropractic
Free News Updates From And About The International Chiropractors Association For You To Share With Your Colleagues And Your Patients
ARNOLD
SCHWARZENEGGER AND A HOST OF CHIROPRACTIC AND FITNESS STARS TO HEADLINE
ICA'S 11TH ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM ON NATURAL FITNESS: The ICA
and its Council on Fitness and Sports Health Science will once again present
their Symposium on Natural Fitness in Columbus, Ohio in conjunction with the
Arnold Schwarzenegger Fitness Weekend and Expo. ICA's 11th
Annual Symposium on Natural Fitness with Arnold Schwarzenegger will feature
the same kind of exciting, star-packed, innovative program that has made it
the highlight of the chiropractic calendar for the past decade. Mark your
calendars for February 27 and March 1-2, 2003 and come to Columbus, Ohio for
a fantastic weekend of fitness stars, champion athletes, and innovative,
practical chiropractic continuing education! Each year the ICA's Symposium
is a special, sold-out event. REGISTRATIONS ARE NOW BEING TAKEN. CALL
1-800-423-4690 OR VISIT ICA'S WEBSITE AT
www.chiropractic.org for
updates on the faculty, featured program offerings, and registration for the
2003 ICA Symposium on Natural Fitness with Arnold Schwarzenegger!
REGISTER NOW TO GUARANTEE YOUR PLACE AT THIS TREMENDOUS EVENT!
ICA is proud to bring you a stellar program that includes world fitness champion, legendary bodybuilder and 6-time Ms. Olympia, Cory Everson; and Dr. Fabrizio Mancini with corporate fitness expert Doug Caporrino. They will be joined by NFL team chiropractor for the Superbowl-winning Baltimore Ravens, Dr. Doug Miller; Dr. Tom Deters, editor-in-chief of Muscle & Fitness Magazine, and Dr. Warren Bruhl, exercise author and a Diplomate in Chiropractic Pediatrics, who will present on chiropractic care for children in athletics. This year's continuing education programs are co-sponsored by Cleveland Chiropractic College and feature leaders in the world of fitness who are dedicated to exercise and athletic training in the context of chiropractic care.
The Arnold Schwarzenegger Fitness Weekend, with the world's largest Fitness Expo filled with leading sports nutrition, fitness equipment and publication services as well as its world-class athletic competitions, has grown to match the Summer Olympic Games in size and diversity of sports events--including the Arnold Schwarzenegger Bodybuilding Classic and Martial Arts, Gymnastic and Powerlifting Competitions--and the ICA's Fitness Symposium has grown in size and diversity as well! Participants in the Symposium continuing education program can also register to attend parts of the Arnold Fitness Weekend and Competitions, either through a full VIP reserved-seat package to all Arnold Fitness Weekend competitions or as separately purchased event registrations. And, as with every year, the world's most famous chiropractic patient, global superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger, will be the featured speaker at ICA's Symposium on Natural Fitness, and pose with each Symposium registrant for a studio-style portrait photo. A vigorous advocate of chiropractic care for people of all ages, Mr. Schwarzenegger will speak to the Symposium attendees about his personal experience with chiropractic, crediting the care he received throughout the years for his success in bodybuilding and for his ability to maintain such a rigorous filmmaking schedule. MAKE SURE YOU ARE THERE IN 2003!
HMO'S QUITTING MEDICARE AT RECORD RATE - MEDICARE ISSUES SPECIAL BULLETIN TO BENEFICIARIES LEFT BEHIND BY CANCELLED MANAGED CARE ARRANGEMENTS: Record number of Medicare beneficiaries will find themselves without a managed care plan in January as more and more HMOs withdraw from Medicare. Echoing a statement on the October 14th edition of FORBES MAGAZINE, that "managed care is dead", this is the ninth consecutive year in which more HMO plans have dropped out than have agreed to enter into Medicare contracts. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a bulletin to Medicare beneficiaries now covered in managed care plans in preparation for a record withdrawn by HMOs from the Medicare system. ICA has agreed to circulate this notice within the chiropractic profession to keep practitioners informed and to also assist Medicare beneficiaries under chiropractic care to understand that they have no obligation to enter into such a plan and that fee-for-service care is always available. The CMS release reads as follows:
On January 1, 2003 more than 327,000 elderly and disabled Americans will be forced out of HMO plans as more than 90 companies are dropping Medicare HMO coverage in selected areas. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), formerly The Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), the administrator of Medicare, are advising those who will be affected of the following:
5 THINGS TO REMEMBER
1.You should know that
no matter what happens, you are still covered by the Medicare program.
2.If you are affected by a plan withdrawal, you will have to make a choice about who provides your health care. Make sure you have answers to all your questions before you make a decision.
3.While you have decisions to make, your current managed care plan is required to cover you until December 31, 2002.
4.Resources are available to help you make a new health care choice.
5.You will receive additional information about your available Medicare choices, including the Original Medicare Plan and protections you have in choosing a Medigap insurance policy to supplement your Medicare benefits.
You may read or hear about managed care plans leaving the Medicare program in your area. If you are in the Original Medicare Plan, you are not affected. If you are in a Medicare managed care plan, you may be affected, but you are still covered by Medicare. Medicare benefits will always be available to Medicare beneficiaries. Medicare benefits can be delivered either through the traditional fee-for-service arrangement, known as the Original Medicare Plan, or in some areas through managed care plans. If you are affected by a withdrawal, you will have to make a new health care choice. But for most beneficiaries, you have time to make a choice. Since changing the way you receive your health care is an important decision, you may wish to ask those you trust such as family or friends for help. Special rules may apply when you dis-enroll from a Medicare health plan and return to the Original Medicare Plan with a supplemental insurance policy (Medigap). If you or your spouse has health care coverage through a former employer or union, contact a company representative before you make a new health plan choice. If you have Medicaid coverage, do not make a new health plan choice until you contact the State Medical Assistance Office or the State Medicaid Program. We understand that the withdrawal from Medicare of some managed care plans causes disruption for those enrolled in these plans. To ease this transition, CMS is committed to ensuring that beneficiaries have useful information about Medicare and the rights and protections available to beneficiaries affected by these plan withdrawals.
To assist beneficiaries and their caregivers, CMS established the Medicare Choices Helpline. The Medicare Choices Helpline can be reached by dialing 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). Hearing impaired individuals using a telephone device for the deaf can call 1-877-486-2048 for assistance. This toll-free number is staffed by English and Spanish-speaking customer service representatives from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. local time. Customer service representatives at the Medicare Choices Helpline can:
· Answer your questions about plan withdrawal,
· Provide the names and phone numbers regarding your other health care options. Information about benefits and costs for the year 2003, beginning January 1, 2003, will be available in mid-September.
· Refer you to other organizations, such as your State Health Insurance Assistance Program, that can help you with your health care choices. Source: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) formerly the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA)
PREVENTION INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO CONSUMERS FROM GOVERNMENT AGENCY: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has circulated a reminder that the Public Health Service Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has an on-line publication focusing on prevention and wellness for older citizens, "Putting Prevention Into Practice - Staying Healthy at 50+". This 64-page brochure covers a wide variety of issues and problems, from cancer screening to smoking cessation. ICA has been encouraged to help notify the chiropractic profession of the availability of this resource. Regrettably, no mention of chiropractic is made and ICA has submitted information that could and should be included to help inform consumers of the unique benefits available through chiropractic care. Chiropractic offers elderly patients the special benefits of maintaining mobility, and promoting clarity of mind because chiropractic is a drugless science, all on a highly cost effective basis. These are two vitally important and highly prized values among older citizens. This publication is available on-line at: http://www.ahcpr.gov/ppip/50plus/50plus.pdf
DATES TO REMEMBER: New Era in Whiplash & Spinal Trauma with Dr. Dan Murphy, November 9-10th, Hartford, Connecticut; New Era in Whiplash and Spinal Trauma II with Dr. Richard Christie, November 16-17th, Phoenix, Arizona; Annual Conference on Chiropractic Pediatrics, New Orleans, Louisiana, November 22-24th, 2002; Certification in Chiropractic Spinal Trauma (CCST) program kickoff, January 18-19th, 2003, with Dr. Dan Murphy, Las Vegas, Nevada; New Era in Whiplash & Spinal Trauma Part I with Dr. Dan Murphy, December 7-8th, San Jose, California, January 11-12, 2003 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and January 25-26th, Houston, Texas; 11th Annual ICA Symposium on Natural Fitness Featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger, February 28th-March 2nd, 2003, Columbus, Ohio.