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Congressman Maurice Hinchey of New York
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Lobbyist Bob Marcus
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| Today, CAOMA received the following offical update from Wendy Darwell, Congressman Hinchey's Chief of Staff, with whom we have been working the past few years. Ms. Darwell notified us that Congressman Hinchey will re-introduce the Federal MediCare Coverate Act this coming Tuesday. Due to the joint efforts of CAOMA and AOMNC, last year's bill - HR 1477 - garnered a record 63 co-sponsors, and allowed the new bill to introduced one month earlier than last session and to begin with 23 co-sponsors! CAOMA and AOMNC are proud of the efforts of our lobbyist Bob Marcus, and grateful to his wife, Donna, for their tireless work on our behalf. |
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| Subject: Update on Federal Acupuncture Coverage Act |
| Dear Friends, |
| In response to a legislative rider that Congressman Hinchey added to an appropriations bill late last year, we have received a report from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the agency that oversees the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program, on insurance companies' voluntary coverage of acupuncture services. |
| Though federal law does not mandate that acupuncture services be covered by FEHB-contracted plans (which Congressman Hinchey's legislation would change), we have suspected for some time that insurance companies are voluntarily adding acupuncture benefits to their packages for federal employees. In light of the growing coverage for acupuncture in the private insurance market, it seemed likely that these same insurers would make comparable benefits available in their FEHB policies. The provision of extra benefits (those not mandated by law, including dental and vision care) is quite common and is a tool that insurers use to make their plan more attractive than their competitors' plans. |
| According to the OPM report, about one-fourth of all plans offered under FEHB include some acupuncture coverage. Since acupuncture coverage is included in several national fee-for-service plans (American Postal Workers Union plan, Association Benefit Plan, Blue Cross/Blue Shield and GEHA, among others), the percentage of the federal work force that is covered by plans offering acupuncture is nearly 75 percent. |
| Of the 58 plans offering some level of acupuncture coverage, only 31 plans specify that services may be provided by a licensed or certified acupuncturist or a doctor of oriental medicine. Thirteen plans only cover acupuncture services if provided by a doctor of medicine or osteopathy. The remaining 14 plans did not specify which providers of acupuncture would be covered. These results underscore the need for passage of Congressman Hinchey's legislation, the Federal Acupuncture Coverage Act, which would guarantee that every FEHB plan would include acupuncture coverage and also would ensure that licensed acupuncturists would be covered providers under every plan. |
| Although OPM did not provide us with the plan-by-plan report that we intended, I have conducted my own analysis of acupuncture coverage within the plans. I have included my results in the attached spreadsheet, which you are welcome to share with your members and others in the acupuncture community. I have also included a copy of OPM's response. |
| Congressman Hinchey's legislative rider also required that OPM provide an assessment of the cost to FEHB of adding a mandated acupuncture benefit. We believe that, if conducted fairly, OPM's analysis will show a net savings in health expenditures when federal employees can choose acupuncture treatments instead of medical procedures. We expect to receive the second report in late March. |
| In other news, Congressman Hinchey is preparing to re-introduce the Federal Acupuncture Coverage Act on February 15. The following 22 Members of Congress have committed to co-sponsoring the bill so far: |
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| Best regards, |
| Wendy D. Darwell |
| Chief of Staff |
| Office of U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey |
| 2431 Rayburn House Office Building |
| Washington, DC 20515 |
| (202) 225-6335 (phone) |
| (202) 226-0774 (fax) |