WHITE PAPER | 2021


Introduction


Chiropractic care warrants a new look by health-care professionals, physicians and health-plan payers as a safe, effective and non-invasive approach for spinal health and well-being. It offers drug-free, holistic, conservative care that’s centered on each patient’s needs. Today, there’s strong data supporting chiropractic care including a wealth of findings from academic and aggregated clinical studies.


Spinal pain is common among American adults. About two-thirds, or around 207 million people, have experienced serious enough back or neck pain to seek help from a health-care professional at some point in their lives, according to the latest report in a multiyear, large-scale study conducted with Gallup.1


Low-back


pain is the No.1 cause of disability worldwide and the top reason opioids are prescribed.2


Billions of dollars are spent each year to address spinal pain in the United States.3


For insurers and other health-care payers, it’s


time to recognize that endorsing and covering chiropractic care will save their organizations money and heighten patients’ quality of care. Endorsing chiropractic care will reduce payouts for other, more expensive health-care options that patients often do not prefer and are less effective.


Understanding that this option for musculoskeletal pain management and overall wellness is often covered by health insurance and doesn’t require an extended series of visits also has made chiropractic care popular. Health-care plan payers,


from the Department of Veterans Affairs to private-sector insurers, are awakening to the benefits of chiropractic care.


Doctors of chiropractic are conservative-care professionals who are expert in administering less-invasive, low-cost care that supports the body’s natural healing and can ameliorate and even prevent the need for riskier treatments such as prescription narcotics.4


Research indicates that overall health-care expenditures may be lower for U.S. adults with neck and back pain who seek care from complementary and integrative health-care professionals like chiropractors.5


That means cost savings (i.e., increased earnings) for health insurers and government payers alike.


Notably, research shows that many adults seeking relief for significant neck or back pain chose to see a medical doctor or physical therapist, rather than a chiropractor, because they have insurance coverage for those modes of care.6


Increased coverage


for chiropractic would predictably lead to increased utilization. Nearly half of adults who have been to a chiropractor within the last five years say they would go more often if care was less expensive.7


Today, there are more reasons than ever for payers to support chiropractic care.


PALMER COLLEGE OF CHIROPRACTIC


01

Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24