Patients may see a $20.00 co-payment for their medical provider, but are faced with $70.00 co-payments per visit when seeking chiropractic care. I encourage everyone to call their representative or state senator and encourage them to VOTE YES to HB 496.  Equity in Co-payments for Chiropractic Patients.You can look up your representative by going to www.ncleg.net to find your local representative in Cumberland County. Representatives Glazier, Floyd, Parfitt, Lucas, Brisson are just a few. The state senators are Mansfield and Meredith.

So, far this has been a by-partisan effort and we suspect with the help of our supporters, we will see fair co-payments for chiropractic patients.The Insurance Industry is sure to argue that lower co-payments, fair co-payments will raise premiums.  This is just not true.  Back surgery costs approximately$40,000.00 per surgery.  Chiropractic is often less than $1,000 for an effective, surgery free approach to avoiding such surgery.  If anything, chiropractic care saves the system money and it is more effective in preventing long term neck and back pain.  It is pain free, drug free, surgery free and hospitalization free form of care that is effective and affordable IF it allows patients to utilize their benefits.When the insurance carriers such as BCBS set the co-payments so high, they are essentially eliminating patients from using their benefits.  Last year, BCBS showed a 210 million dollar profit, and chiropractic was less than 1% of the budget in expenses for BCBS.   As they raise premiums each and every year,  chiropractic patients cost practically nothing for the service we provide and in the end it is a benefit and not an expense to allow patients to access our services.

We thank you for your support of House Bill 496.  Tell your local representatives and state senators to vote YES- For HB 496.

Thank you and God bless you,

Dr. Tyler Nelson

Past President of the North Carolina Chiropractic Association