If you watched the presidential address on Tuesday night, you heard that healthcare reform will be one of the three major areas of focus of this administration.  And I know that this has been mentioned by every president over the past four terms, but for some reason, maybe it was the tone he used ... I think there will be a change.

But what will that change be and how will it affect the chiropractic profession? 

I may not be a politician or political analyst but I believe the influence that our association has on Capitol Hill will be the most important factor.  If you do not have the time or personality to get politically involved, support the profession financially by being a dues paying member of your national and state organization.........and you might want to do it today!

Many say they can not afford it and I can appreciate financial constraints.  But with everything going on right now ... can you really afford not to?

If our political associations are weak, we stand little chance to be heard over those stronger than us in terms of finances and support/unity.  And like it or not, other groups in healthcare are all vying for a similiar position of influence.  Looking at the positive points we have to offer:

We can help lower the cost of health care.

We can help produce a healthier society and the president wants a focus on wellness and prevention.

We are low-tech-high touch, and that is a powerful combination in health care today, not to mention a huge patient satisfaction score.

We need to unite for this to happen!

And although we may not be directly involved with the new technology the president discussed in order to create new jobs, we do understand the importance of investing in RESEARCH which the president emphasized.    

NCMIC has done a commendable job of supporting our profession's research projects, and as policyholders, we can be proud to know that by our collective actions, we help to keep NCMIC strong. This research will be important when our leaders are sitting at the political table.

Don't forget about education as it is an important component about how we are judged. If we are seen as an integral part of the healthcare reform, our chiropractic colleges by default will prosper with increased admissions.

On a final note, if I was able to proof read the address, I would have added one thing.  When the president mentioned that premiums are increasing he should have followed it up with the fact that re-imbursements to the provider continue to decrease. 

So if providers make less and premiums cost more, what part of our healthcare needs to be reformed?