Why should TRICARE recipients get coverage for chiropractic care? Chiropractic care is available to Medicare beneficiaries, federal employees covered under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program, and active duty service members through military treatment facilities prior to retirement. This drug-free approach to pain management should also be available to TRICARE recipients.

How much will this cost taxpayers? This legislation should have little to no impact on the federal budget. We believe that this legislation will shift some of the TRICARE reimbursement costs away from prescription pain medication and opioids to chiropractic care.

Why do we need this legislation? This legislation is important for members of the National Guard because:
1.) Skeletal-muscular injuries are the number one complaint of service members returning home from deployment
2.) Chiropractic care is the most cost-effective approach to treating injuries according to an OPTUM health study
3.) Drug-free approach reduces risk of addiction to pain killers and opioids and the related suicides
4.) Chiropractic care is the preferred treatment method according to past Department of Defense studies
5.) Over 9 million Tricare users are currently lacking coverage for chiropractic care

2019 legislation for this issue is H.R. 344 and S. 30 “Chiropractic Health Parity for Military Beneficiaries Act”