SENATE MEMORIAL 70

52nd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2016

INTRODUCED BY

Jacob R. Candelaria









A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE SECRETARY OF HUMAN SERVICES TO CHARGE THE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE DIVISION OF THE HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT WITH CONVENING A WORKING GROUP TO EXPLORE MEDICAID REIMBURSEMENT FOR CHIROPRACTIC MEDICINE SERVICES.



WHEREAS, a chiropractic cost-effectiveness study conducted by Muse and associates in 2001 examined the cost-saving impact that chiropractic care has on costs in the federal medicare program that provides coverage to elders and disabled individuals; and

WHEREAS, a federal medicare demonstration pilot program reported to the United States congress in 2010 made a comparison between the cost of treatment for the same diagnosis between chiropractic physicians and medical doctors and showed that chiropractic physicians in New Mexico saved the program fourteen million dollars ($14,000,000) over the course of the two-year study; and

WHEREAS, the New Mexico first centennial town hall report in 2012, which made policy recommendations on education, economic development, energy policy, health care and water issues, recommended that chiropractic medicine services be included in the state medicaid plan; and

WHEREAS, the Presbyterian community health forum in 2012 recommended the inclusion of chiropractic medicine services in the state medicaid plan; and

WHEREAS, the prescription drug misuse and overdose prevention and pain management advisory council in 2013 recommended that the human services department expand medically assisted treatment options for persons living with opioid dependence and expand reimbursement options for alternative treatment modalities for chronic pain, including chiropractic services; and

WHEREAS, many insurance plans already include reimbursement for chiropractic medicine services;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the secretary of human services be requested to charge the medical assistance division of the human services department with convening a working group to explore the reimbursement of chiropractic medicine services through the state's medicaid program; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the secretary of human services be requested to invite to participate in the working group representatives from the medical assistance division, the New Mexico medical society, the Robert Wood Johnson foundation, the center for health policy at the university of New Mexico, the New Mexico public health association, the New Mexico osteopathic association, the Bernalillo county opioid accountability initiative, the Bernalillo county community health council, the New Mexico practitioner council, a statewide health consumer advocacy organization and the medicaid centennial care managed care organizations; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the medicaid chiropractic services working group be requested to make recommendations regarding medicaid reimbursement for chiropractic medicine services to the legislative health and human services committee by October 1, 2016; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the secretary of human services and the president of the New Mexico chiropractic association.

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