For those you of you who don’t know, Medicare pays for the Chiropractic adjustments but doesn’t cover the initial examination, x-rays, or therapies. There is ongoing research to demonstrate the effectiveness, safety, and cost effectiveness of Chiropractic.
At Dartmouth College, the research called “The Demonstration Project” worked towards establishing the direct and indirect costs associated with the expanded coverage of Chiropractic services under Medicare. They used demonstration sites with the intent of using those findings to model the expansion of Chiropractic nationally. The findings from the “Demonstration Project” has estimated that the national expansion of chiropractic services would cost $582 million.
The indirect cost benefits have not been calculated. The cost saved from decreased surgical procedures, decreased pain medication, and decreased in doctor visits is a daunting task. We look forward to the results. We look forward to more Chiropractic coverage, which will decrease the cost of care overall for those on Medicare, plus the added benefit of a better quality of life for those Chiropractic are able to help.
Today, millions of Medicare patients see chiropractor for their overall increase in quality of life. Pain has a way of dwindling the desire to live, diminish the amount of living a person does, and takes the joy out of living. Just to be pain-free, is a gift that many appreciate. Not to be medicated to feel no pain, but to be pain-free to live life more fully.