Millions of Americans suffer from different kinds of pain. Pain management is a big part of American medicinal practices. CMS chose to cover acupuncture for the treatment of low back pain; but since licensed acupuncturists are not yet providers under Medicare, we cannot bill for this service.
The American TCM Association (ATCMA), established in 2016, focuses on academic development, provides continuing education to its members and promotes members' professional skills to better serve patients. We have provided 500-plus free weekly webinars to our community for eight years. We strive to collaborate with all organizations working to promote acupuncture and move our profession to the next level.
We, the Asian acupuncture community, strongly support Rep. Judy Chu's H.R. 4803, the Acupuncture for Our Seniors Act. It will eliminate barriers for patients to receive acupuncture care. Sixty-six million American seniors will be able to access acupuncture services from licensed acupuncturists, rather than other, non-acupuncturist providers.The Asian community urges our representatives to become co-signers of H.R. 4803. Acupuncture is an evidence-based, non-opioid treatment for pain. We believe acupuncture can help prevent certain complications and operations due to its efficacy in the treatment of fascia. We believe acupuncture is part of the solution to the opioid crisis in the U.S. We look forward to working with the ASA, NCCAOM and other advocates of this bill to help H.R. 4803 pass into law.