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ICA NEWS: ICA Legislative Committee Chairman Secures Inclusion of Accelerated Implementation of U.S. Military Chiropractic Program in House Defense Bill

Working with his own Member of Congress, Dr. Michael S. McLean of Virginia Beach, Virginia, ICA Board Member and Chair of ICA's 2001-2003 Legislative Committee, has secured the inclusion of an important new chiropractic provision in H.R 1588, The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004. In close cooperation with 2nd District Virginia Congressman Ed Schrock, Dr. McLean had worked for more than a year on a provision that would have extended chiropractic benefits to military dependents and retirees through the federal TRICARE program. In extensive negotiations with senior House leaders, Dr. McLean and Mr. Schrock were informed that the House Armed Services Committee would not act on any TRICARE initiative for chiropractic in the current year because of extremely limited funds, but would agree to a major enhancement in the already passed chiropractic program for active duty military personnel.

The precise language relating to chiropractic in H.R. 1588 reads as follows:

SEC. 706. ACCELERATION OF IMPLEMENTATION OF CHIROPRACTIC HEALTH CARE FOR MEMBERS ON ACTIVE DUTY.

The Secretary of Defense shall accelerate the implementation of the plan required by section 702 of the Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 (Public Law 106-398) (relating to chiropractic health care services and benefits), with a goal of completing implementation of the plan by October 1, 2005.

"This important step forward is very timely and important for chiropractic because it shortens the timeline for full implementation of the chiropractic program in the U.S. Armed Forces to October 1, 2005," said Dr. McLean. "If passed, H.R. 1588 means that new funds will be spent deploying chiropractic providers, more service personnel will be under chiropractic care and the status of chiropractic in this important segment of our national infrastructure will be brought to the full maturity it deserves, much quicker than previously provided for."

In a letter circulated this week to the Members of the House of Representatives, House Armed Services Committee Chair, The Hon. Duncan Hunter and Total Force Subcommittee Chair, The Hon. John McHugh, urged their colleagues to support H.R. 1588 because it "...represents a bi-partisan effort to improve our health care commitment to military beneficiaries and their families." ICA anticipates a positive outcome on this extraordinary effort. For a copy of the Hunter-McHugh letter, click here or call ICA at 1-800-423-4690.

Even with this prospective enhancement of chiropractic services in the military, the status of military commissions remains uncertain. In 1992, ICA passed legislation authorizing the Secretary of Defense to commission chiropractors as career health care officers. ICA still places military commissions for doctors of chiropractic at the top of its legislative priority list and will continue its aggressive efforts to secure this important additional recognition
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Dr. Michael McLean is in private practice in Virginia Beach, Virginia and has served as a Member of ICA's Board of Directors for six years. He was also appointed by President Bush to serve on the Department of Veterans Affairs Chiropractic Advisory Committee currently working to develop recommendations for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on the implementation of a permanent chiropractic program in that agency.