Update IHPC Section 2706

“Section 2706 of the ACA is of utmost importance in order to ensure provider equality as an integrative health-care system is created in the United States.”

• Leonard Wisneski, MD, FACP, Chair, Integrative Healthcare Policy Consortium

The Integrative Healthcare Policy Consortium (IHPC) continues its focus on the Nondiscrimination provision of the Affordable Care Act, Section 2706, which prohibits insurance companies from discriminating against health-care providers and requires that insurers include and reimburse licensed health-care providers in health insurance plans (state insurance exchanges). Full implementation of Section 2706 benefits patients, providers, and community health. The provision was originally lobbied by the chiropractic profession and IHPC, and sponsored by Senator Tom Harkin with support by Senator Barbara Mikulski. Ultimately, Section 2706 is about patient access to choice of provider.

IHPC has retained Deborah Senn, the former State Insurance Commissioner in the state of Washington and a fierce consumer advocate, to represent the consortium of practitioners and organizations committed to integrative health care. Senn is working in concert with state associations of the licensed disciplines for the broad implementation of Section 2706 in 2013 through the state insurance exchanges.

To date, IHPC has accomplished the following:

• Clearinghouse

  : a database of critical state level information is currently being compiled, which will ultimately be made available to state associations of the licensed and certified disciplines of chiropractic, acupuncture, massage therapy, midwifery, naturopathy, optometry, and homeopathy.

• FAQs

  : Senn has written general “FAQs” soon to be published on the IHPC site, targeted toward licensed practitioners.

• Bulletin

  : Senn is devising a bulletin aimed toward State Insurance Commissioners regarding the Nondiscrimination provision and its’ implementation.

  Congressional Briefing

  : IHPC will be hosting and presenting a Congressional Briefing for both Senate and House members in June 2013, aimed toward educating members about the importance of the broad interpretation and implementation of the Nondiscrimination provision.

• Webinars:

  Senn recently held a webinar for the IHPC organization. Additional webinars will be scheduled during 2013 for patient and consumer groups and state associations (of licensed providers).

• Regional Meetings

  : IHPC was an attendee at the Region IX meeting with Health and Human Services Regional Director Herb Schultz in February, hosted and organized by Tabatha Parker, ND, and Erica Oberg, ND, Bastyr University, San Diego. Representatives of both state and/or national associations of chiropractors, midwifery, massage therapy, naturopathy, acupuncture, and integrative health care, including Scripps Institute and IM4US, were among the attendees. Senn presented on the Nondiscrimination provision and Schultz also presented and took questions from the attendees. Representatives of each of the licensed disciplines presented information about their associations and organizations and regarding the Nondiscrimination provision. Coalition building is continuing amongst the professions and another regional meeting is in the planning stages for Region X (Idaho, Alaska, Washington, and Oregon) with Health and Human Services Regional Director Susan Johnson.

What Can You Do?

Consumers, patients and practitioners, please sign up on the IHPC website, www.ihpc.org, for the latest action alert about the Nondiscrimination provision by going to http://capwiz.com/ihpc/mlm/signup and joining the mailing list!

If you would like to volunteer with the IHPC Media and Marketing Committee, please call Taylor Walsh, chair, at 240-429-7337 or e-mail rtaylorwalsh@comcast.net. Please call Alyssa Wostrel, executive director, IHPC, with questions and other volunteer interests at 505-331-7358 or e-mail awostrel@ihpc.org.