Chiropractics is There For Those Most in Need
Throughout the years chiropractic care has placed an emphasis on the overall well-being of the population. There are massive discrepancies in insurance coverage, healthcare access, affordability, and socioeconomic status throughout the country that account for inequality in the United States healthcare system.
Many individuals have trouble seeking primary care, let alone a highly specialized and alternative treatment pathway like chiropractic care. Yet with the disparities in insurance coverage and access mentioned earlier, this feat seems to be a bigger problem than most are led to believe. Many professionals in the medical field are aware of these disparities, but feel separated from the actual problem as they are the ones providing the services not overseeing the infrastructure of the services’ delivery.
However there is definitely a role that medical professionals can play in improving healthcare access and delivery, and the onus is usually placed on philanthropy, community wellness promotion, and payment modifications that help individuals manage their care.
Chiropractors often take on the injury burden of the community through the patients that they see in their clinic, but a large amount of chiropractors and chiropractic groups find ways to expand their services beyond their privatized clinic, reaching far into the community. Offering sliding scale payment systems, similar to those of many hospitals that are given state funding, is a common form of patient assistance. With low management costs and high financial turnaround seen in many chiropractic facilities, sliding scale payments do not impinge upon the financial wellbeing of the practice.
There are also many philanthropic actions that chiropractors take to extend the barriers of their care outside of their clinic. Programs like The Patriot Project and many other forms of community-based chiropractic services that are free of cost can make a huge difference in how chiropractic care can be distributed to vulnerable populations.
The nature of the chiropractor is to assist, to guide, and to strengthen. In providing their services to the groups that are most in need, they are committing to their profession’s core values.
Used under Creative Commons Licensing courtesy of John Christian Fjellestad