Grassley Works to Make Sure Chiropractic Services Get Fair Treatment by Medicare   WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley said that the Department of Health and Human Services has made the right decision in suspending plans to allow Medicare carriers to establish limits on the number of services a chiropractor could provide to an individual Medicare beneficiary. "The administration's positive action to delay any such limits is a significant step towards more equitable treatment for chiropractors in the Medicare program," Grassley said. "Automatically denying payment for services once an arbitrary limit is reached would result in claims being denied without medical review. No other providers in the Medicare program have limits put on the number of services they can provide, so why should chiropractors?" Earlier this year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which administers the Medicare program, published proposed instructions to set frequency limits for chiropractic services. Grassley made the case against such a plan in September by making a personal phone call and sending a letter to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. "I really appreciate Secretary Thompson and Administrator McClellan's response on behalf of chiropractors," Grassley said. "And I look forward to continuing our dialogue about the value of chiropractic services to the health and well-being of Medicare beneficiaries." The Iowa senator has a record of supporting access to chiropractic care for Medicare beneficiaries. Last year, Grassley won passage of legislation to establish a two year demonstration program at four sites to evaluate the feasibility of covering additional chiropractic services under Medicare. His provision was included in the Medicare prescription drug legislation enacted in December 2003. Grassley's measure further expands the scope of chiropractic services covered by Medicare consistent with private insurance, other federal health plans and state practice laws. Previously, only one chiropractic service was covered under Medicare. Contact our local chiropractor to help relieve your chronic back pain