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OCOM Alumni, here is an important opportunity to take action to advance and protect your profession. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is currently drafting policies to implement the Affordable Care Act. This gives us an opportunity to include modalities such as acupuncture and help shift the focus of health care in this country to include a more preventive and holistic approach. HHS will accept comments until January 31 about their plan to allow states to individually determine the list of services that will comprise the Essential Health Benefits package.
Please take action by preparing a letter, based on the sample provided below. If you can include your personal experience with Acupuncture, as a patient or practitioner, even better! Please consider forwarding this request to your friends, family, patients and other contacts so we can get enough letters to have an impact on these policies. The goal is 50,000 letters, so every letter helps! Letters sent between now and January 31 will be counted by HHS. The AOM community is being advised that a strong public show of support for acupuncture as an essential health benefit will demonstrate public demand and will be noticed by policymakers. The email address for the public comment is:
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. Also, please send a copy of your letter to
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and
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so we can track responses.
A sample letter is below, which you may copy and edit as needed. Please email Caitlin (
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) if you have any questions. More information is available at http://aaaom.rallycongress.com/5887/acupuncture-as-an-essential-health-benefit-public-input/.
Thank you for your willingness to take action on behalf of the future of the Acupuncture profession. Together we can affect real health care change for the benefit of all.
Here are the basic points you may include in your letter:
To Whom It May Concern:
This letter is 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 them as part of the Public Comment period due by January 31, 2012:
1. I have been a patient of acupuncture and consider it an essential part of my health care. (include personal experience here if possible)
2. Acupuncture by Licensed Acupuncturists as well as other qualified providers 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,
_____________________________
Name:________________________
Address:______________________
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