Act Now! Save Chiropractic in the Illinois Medicaid Budget!

The Illinois Medicaid budget is in crisis. As Governor Quinn looks to save services for Medicaid patients, he has been forced to resort to cutting or eliminating reimbursements for a wide variety of services. One of the proposed cuts is the elimination of chiropractic services to adult patients.

However, the Illinois Chiropractic Society has noted that the elimination of chiropractic services for adults will not be a cost-saving technique for the state, but will actually INCREASE the amount of money paid to health providers. How can this be? Here's a quote from a sample letter that you can send to your state legislators:

"Medicaid reimbursements are only $8.67 a visit for chiropractic physicians, and according to HFS, the average Medicaid chiropractic patient received less than 10 visits in 2011. This means the entire course of treatments by a chiropractic physician is under $90.  According to HFS FOIA responses, 103,039 Medicaid patients went to an Emergency Room last year for musculoskeletal concerns at a cost to the state of over $300 for the first day alone.

"If only a fraction of those patients who went to the ER went to a chiropractic physician instead, it would save the state millions.  On the other hand, by eliminating chiropractic as an option, many of the 19,861 Medicaid chiropractic patients will have to seek much more expensive providers.  Cutting chiropractic physicians out of the Medicaid model will not even result in a short term savings, for those patients will just be forced to seek other providers, most likely Emergency Rooms, for their treatment."
 
As one of the very few chiropractic offices in Peoria which serve the large, underserved, and growing Medicaid population, this is a very significant time. We need to let our legislators know that chiropractic services are important, vital, and cost-efficient. Please take a few moments to send your legislators an e-mail or letter and ask them to save chiropractic in the Illinois Medicaid budget.

All our Medicaid patients thank you.

UPDATE: This budget did pass without saving adult chiropractic services.