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Action Alert! What if Everyone Had Access to
Acupuncture?—Deadline Extended
Posted January 19, 2012 (Updated February 11, 2012)
Essential Health Benefits: In 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act, a health
insurance reform law intended to ensure access to quality and affordable health insurance
for all Americans. Starting in 2014, most health plans will be required to offer a
comprehensive package of items and services to patients, known as "essential health
benefits” (EHB). Under the new law, EHB must cover certain specific services including
emergency services, maternity and newborn care, prescription drugs as well as
preventive and wellness services, among others.
The AAAOM strongly supports designating acupuncture as an EHB. Our full
position statement is available in the Governance section of the AAAOM website. Please consider contributing financial
support to this effort, which will be solely used to further publicize and generate
action on this issue. To participate in committee work or related research projects,
please contact
AAAOM.
Public Input is Needed: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is currently
accepting input regarding their
approach to establishing EHBs. A strong public show of support for acupuncture as an
essential health benefit will be noticed by policymakers and will lay a solid foundation for
future federal acupuncture initiatives.
Take action now: Ask your patients to send an email to the address below to show their
support for EHB. Also, send your own email as a patient showing your support. Emails
should request that acupuncture be designated as an essential benefit service and should
share the benefits of acupuncture and its cost effectiveness. A sample letter is included
below.
To send a message to HHS, use our sample letter below or visit
http://aaaomonline.org/ehb.
The Jan. 31, 2012, deadline has been extended.
Thank you for your support of our efforts to serve our profession.
Warmly,
Jeannie Kang, MSTOM, LAc, DNBAO, DNBIM
President, AAAOM Board of Directors
Sample EHB Letter
to: EssentialHealthBenefits@cms.hhs.gov
cc: EHB@aaaomonline.org.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20201
To Whom It May Concern:
In response to The Department of Health and Human Services 12/16/11 bulletin outlining
proposed policies that will give states more flexibility to implement the Affordable Care
Act, please accept my comments contained in this letter and include same as part of the
Public Comment period:
1. I [have been or am currently] a patient of acupuncture and consider it an essential part
of my health care. [Describe your success story here.]
2. Acupuncture should be included as an Essential Health Benefit by HHS under the
Affordable Care Act.
3. States should be specifically directed by HHS to include acupuncture in their Essential
Health Benefits Package.
Respectfully submitted,
(your name and address)
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