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| Dr. Cleveland and Senator Brownback discuss ways the College serves the surrounding community. |
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The senator consistently favors a hands-off approach to regulating the private sector, asserting that intervention creates market distortions. He endorses legislation that would for the first time allow insurance companies to market their policies across state lines, a change that would overturn the state insurance equality laws currently in effect in nearly all states. Many of these laws mandate that individual insurance policies include chiropractic coverage.
Strong Support for Expanding Chiropractic Services for Veterans, But Cautious on Broad Inclusion in Health Reform
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| Student intern Scott Keller greets Senator Brownback as Dr. Nathan Uhl and Dr. Carl Cleveland III enjoy the moment. |
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Senator Brownback announced that he has signed on as the lead Republican sponsor of a bipartisan bill that would mandate availability of chiropractic services at all Veterans Administration facilities in the nation, a key legislative goal of chiropractors. But, asked whether he favored including chiropractic as an “essential” service in a core benefit plan under a possible health reform, he replied, “I think it needs to be in the mix and in the portfolio as an option. But putting it into a requirement pool, I would need to look at that again.”
Along the same lines, when asked by student Therese Finan how to remedy lower and arguably discriminatory levels of coverage and reimbursement for chiropractors under many insurance policies, the senator answered, “This really sounds like something that the system needs to investigate itself, as to what’s the most effective way and what the reimbursement rates are for the various areas. When you have a government-run system, it ends up setting very specific rules and very specific categories.”
As the assembly neared completion, Senator Brownback was visibly moved and the entire audience was electrified by incoming chiropractic student T.S.’s story of why he decided to become a chiropractor. With courage, clarity and the power that comes from speaking one’s heart, Steinbrecher shared his story:
“I’m getting ready to start the chiropractic program next trimester. I’m a disabled veteran and I use the chiropractic services every month at the VA. I get treated for PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder]. In a helicopter crash, I broke my neck and I have bulged discs in my neck and my lower back. The only thing that worked for me was chiropractic and some other alternative care, acupuncture. I went through the system with the military and the drugs and physical therapy.
This is the only thing that worked for me and that’s why I’m here today. It’s really important to get this message out – that chiropractic isn’t just for a crick in the neck. I’m standing here today and I can feel my arms, because of chiropractic.
I want you to know that many of us are not just studying here because it’s a profession; we’re doing this because it’s a way to better health. So I want you to take that back to the Hill and to know that it’s near and dear to our hearts.”
The event was also attended by representatives of the Kansas Chiropractic Association and the Kansas Public Health Association.
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