The 2024 Legislative Session begins Jan. 8, and we need your help in passing HR 1655. It will require insurance carriers to give health care providers an annual fee schedule increase based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), for those providers who are not attached to a hospital, or hospital affiliate. The proposed legislation is not just for chiropractors, but for all professions who are practicing in a small group clinic or independently.
This year’s legislative session is short, lasting only 60 days, and we have a lot to accomplish before it ends.
In 2023, the House Health Care and Wellness Committee had a hearing on the bill, and depending on proposed amendments, the chair may require an additional hearing. We also plan to have a Senate companion bill, which will expand the discussion into the Senate and create more support for this issue.
Action Steps
For legislation like this to pass, providers who cannot negotiate their fees must act:
- Meet with your legislator and ask them to support HB 1655.
- Email our lobbyist Lori Grassi with the feedback from your legislator. Please put HB 1655 and the legislator’s name in the email subject line and send to LGrassi@chirohealth.org so she can track their feedback.
- If you have not met with your legislator yet, contact them now and request a meeting in Olympia during the legislative session. The Legislative session begins 1/8/2024, with the first of the many deadlines on 1/31/2024. This means that you should try to get an appointment before 1/31/2024, and if the bill makes it through that stage, we will ask you to reach out again via email prior to the other deadlines that are part of the legislative process. If you need someone to attend the meeting with you, let Lori know. If she can’t attend, she will find a WSCA Board Representative to attend with you!
- Find your legislator here:
- Find their contact information here: At this link you can search for the legislator’s name. Notice that it provides the legislators email and their legislative aids email. Email both the legislator and their aid requesting a timely meeting.
Here are some details you should share with legislators.
- Provider contracts for small practices, or sole practitioners, are NOT negotiated-they are “take-it-or-leave-it” agreements that do not allow you to negotiate any of the details, including your reimbursement rates.
- Everything in your clinic has been impacted by inflation; paper supplies you need for cleaning, equipment upkeep, repairs or replacement, staff salaries.
- Many local governments have implemented minimum wage requirements for employees, but our provider fee schedules remain at 2003 reimbursement rates.
- Reimbursement rates of some insurers don’t even cover the cost of the service. Many copays for chiropractic care are so high that there really is no benefit for the patient — it is essentially a “discount plan” for patients.
There are many arguments you can make that are not in this list. Be sure to explain them thoroughly since most legislators are not health care providers. Give them a chance to ask questions and be sure to follow up with answers. If you do not know the answer, let Lori Grassi know, lgrassi@chirohealth.org, and she will follow up with details.
The bill affects all health professions if they are not attached to a hospital or a hospital affiliate. Legislators like bills that are not profession-specific, so be sure to explain that this is for all provider types who cannot negotiate contracts.
Remember, the success of the Washington State Chiropractic Association (WSCA), the Washington State Chiropractic Trust (WSCT) and the entire Washington state chiropractic profession hinges upon a strong working relationship between our profession and its external allies – especially state legislators. It is critical that you make appointments with your legislators during the upcoming session.
As always, your financial support of the WSCT and membership in the WSCA is everything! You have and will continue to benefit from everything that we do. If you have donated recently and/or are a regular contributor to the WSCT, it is appreciated, and it makes a difference. You can also click on the DONATE button to make either a one-time or recurring donation.
— Dr. Dave Butters, President
Washington State Chiropractic Trust