Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act Means Chiropractic Care Just Got More Affordable

On January 13, 2021, Congress passed the Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act, something that levels the financial playing field in the insurance industry, including the affordability of chiropractic care.

"The American Chiropractic Association advocated for this important change for many years. The passage of this bill is an essential step toward increasing competition in health insurance markets and lowering prices for consumers," said ACA President Robert C. Jones, DC.

Previously, insurance companies were considered exempt from federal antitrust laws. Said laws served the purpose of eliminating monopolies and fostering a competitive market. Insurance companies have been able to establish monopolized territories and cherrypick what healthcare services they decide to cover, including chiropractic.

The American Chiropractic Association explains in their article that, "It levels the playing field between a doctor and a health insurance company. Doctors have long been subject to federal antitrust scrutiny… Health insurance companies […] have been free to exchange among themselves suggested price information, terms of service and criteria for the reimbursement of doctors of chiropractic.

"They also have been free to obtain and utilize reimbursement criteria from various 'medical consultants' who often are direct competitors of doctors of chiropractic and have anticompetitive intent. With certain limited exceptions, this ability of insurance companies now ends with the elimination of the ‘business of insurance’ exemption to the federal antitrust laws."

The Act has finally been signed into law after years and years of being struck down by previous legislations. There are mixed reactions to the new law. The bottom line is that it means change in the insurance industry, and potentially change in the cost of specialized healthcare.