January 2003
see
also: Wal-Mart's assault
on chiropractic by Dr. Jeffrey Shay
WCA fights Wal-Mart decision on
chiropractic
At a time when companies should be taking steps to reduce
health care costs, Wal-Mart made the potentially costly decision to deny
chiropractic care to employees through its company health plan.
The World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA) immediately contacted
Wal-Mart CEO, H. Lee Scott President, at the company's
Bentonville
,
Arkansas
office.
In its letter, it pointed out the numerous studies that have
shown that chiropractic not only can be more effective than medical
treatment but can reduce health care costs.
One of the studies cited, published in the American
Journal of Managed Care, March 1996, noted that "properly managed
chiropractic care can yield outcomes in terms of surgical requirements and
patient satisfaction, that are equal to those of non‑chiropractic
care at a substantially lower cost per patient."
Another was the 1993 Canadian study, funded by the government
of
Ontario
, which concluded that
chiropractic care for those with low‑back pain was superior to
medicine in terms of safety, science and cost‑effectiveness.
"In addition, chiropractic care can increase worker
productivity by reducing recovery time," the WCA informed the
executive. "In
Victoria
,
Australia
, a one‑year study
of all workplace injuries involving back pain compared chiropractic and
medical care and concluded that patients receiving chiropractic care
required fewer compensation days to recover."
The WCA went on to cite other studies, and offered to provide
additional research proving that chiropractic was of great benefit to
patients and could reduce health care costs and employee down time.
"Given these facts, it's clear that an elimination of
chiropractic coverage is an ill‑advised decision, one that will help
neither Wal‑Mart Stores nor its workforce," the WCA letter
argued.
In addition, WCA Director of Insurance Relations, Jeffrey
Shay, D.C., contacted the company with his own persuasive arguments (see
Dr. Shay's comments following).
"We will continue to fight against this decision,"
stressed WCA President Terry A. Rondberg, D.C. "and to convince
Wal-Mart that its own best interests would be served by re-instating the
chiropractic benefit."
