H.R. 3590- Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

The health care bill has passed.  Though some would argue that it is not the health care bill but more a legislative vehicle that will carry the heath care bill in the future.  So what does the passage and signing of HR 3590 mean?  As the bill's title states, it aims to protect present and future patients and provide affordable health care.  Simply--and this is coming from Subpart 1 of the bill, titled "General Reform", sections 2701-2708--millions of Americans, who up until now could not get insurance because of the great expense or because an existing health condition made them an added liability, and therefore a greater expense to the insurance company can now consider health care for themselves and their families without fear of bankruptcy.  It's more complex a bill than I've simplified here.  It's not a socialized health care, but with this bill there is promise that we're heading toward a system of care in this country that aims to help all people and not just those who can afford it.

I received a letter yesterday, as did everyone else subscribed to their posts, from AAAOM regarding the bill's passage and what this means for AOM practitioners.

Unfortunately--and I say this prematurely--HR 646 Federal Acupuncture Coverage Act, sponsored by Rep. Maurice Hinchey [D-NY22] was not included in this bill.  It was naive of me to think that HR 646 might be included with HR 646 considering that getting a bill signed by the president is a 6-part process that begins with its introduction, then its referral to committee before it goes to the House for vote, then after amendments it moves to the Senate for vote before Obama's signature.  HR 646 was introduced January 22, 2009.  What is fourteen months for the 111th Congress of the United States?  A week, maybe two?  Presently, it remains referred to the following Commitees: 

House Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on

House Ways and Means, Subcommittee on

House Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommittee on  

Since the introduction of HR 646 in 2009, AAAOM has sent 40,000 letters from practitioners, students and patients in support to the House and Senate, and gained 37 co-sponsors and it has been referred to committees.  The 2010 goals of AAAOM re: HR 646 is to introduce a companion bill and to steer HR646 from committee to hearing and finally to vote.  Yes!

Let's return to the letter and AAAOM President Deborah Lincoln's question, "What does this bill bring to the AOM community?"  She continues, “Beyond our efforts to gain support for HR 646 over the past twelve months, the cornerstone of many meetings with congressional members have centered on sustaining the non-discrimination language present in this just-passed bill. AAAOM’s efforts, alongside those of other CAM professions (including that of the Integrated Health Policy Commission [IHPC]) have prevailed, and the non-discrimination clause was sustained."

SEC. 2706 of the Subpart 1--General Reform:
SEC.2706. NON-DISCRIMINATION IN HEALTH CARE: (a) PROVIDERS  A group health plan and a health insurance issuer offering group or individual health insurance coverage shall not discriminate with respect to participation under the plan or coverage against any health care provider who is acting within the scope of that provider's license or certification under applicable State law.

Here's the rest of letter:
“Two other key platforms of leadership activity have been served by this political outcome,” states Rebekah Christensen, AAAOM’s executive director. “And this strongly fortifies achieving the vision of the National Joint Strategic Planning Committee: ‘By 2014, acupuncture and Oriental medicine (AOM), an independent, licensed profession, will be fully accessible to the public through American healthcare.’" She further adds, “The synergy of this effort combined with AAAOM’s co-sponsorship of the 2011 World Conference on AOM and Integrative Medicine, is extraordinarily fortuitous in that the underlying purpose of this event is to lead the U. S. in defining the role of AOM in integrative care.” Scheduled for May 13-15, the World Conference 2011 is co-sponsored with the University of Maryland School of Medicine - Center for Integrative Medicine.
Jeannie Kang, LAc, and vice president of the AAAOM states: “This is the best outcome we could have anticipated. Politically, the door for the AOM community has now opened wide, setting the stage for our relentless pursuit to assure that AOM is fully recognized in U.S. health care delivery.”

AAAOM works hard on our behalf as AOM students and practitioners.  HR 3590 is a political door opened to the future of AOM in the US, but it is only the beginning.  If we can continue to make our voices heard through--and this includes practitioners, students and patients--in Washington, the future of AOM as an integral part of US health care can not be denied.

www.opencongress.org/senate_health_care_bill