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Memorandum to: ACA Members, Board of Governors, House of
Delegates and Other Interested Parties
From: Gary Cuneo
Re: ACA EVP Weekly Report
Date: 11/25/02
"The ACA seeks a transformation in health care from a focus on disease to a focus on wellness."
The following items are included in this week's report:
1. WAL-MART AGREES TO MEET WITH THE ACA
2. WALL STREET JOURNAL: ANOTHER HATCHET JOB
3. NEW YORK MAGAZINE PRAISES CHIROPRACTIC: A DIFFERENT VIEW OF THE PROFESSION
4. SENATOR TIM JOHNSON'S OPPONENT CONCEDES (AND OTHER CLOSE RACES): THE LESSON TO BE LEARNED
5. VA ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING TO BE HELD IN DECEMBER
6. ACA LEADERSHIP IN OHIO
7. SHARE THIS REPORT WITH OTHERS
8. MASTERS CIRCLE: UNITY IN THE AIR
9. MAINE STATE ASSOCIATION STEPS UP ITS SUPPORT
10. OTHER ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT
11. COCSA MEETING WAS A SUCCESS
12. CAN'T ACCESS THESE LINKS?
1. WAL-MART AGREES TO MEET WITH THE ACA
The leadership of Wal-Mart has agreed to meet with the ACA to discuss their decision to terminate chiropractic coverage for their employees effective Jan, 2003. The meeting will be held at their corporate offices in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Wal-Mart is the largest retail outlet in the world, with over 4,000 stores, generating $232 billion in sales annually. Their health benefits fall under ERISA provisions and are exempt from insurance equality laws. Efforts in the past to meet with them fell on deaf ears. Due to the importance of this issue, the ACA Executive Committee will be attending the meeting along with Pat Jackson, Vice President of Professional Development and Research. We will be prepared to argue effectively that from a business, health and employee morale standpoint, their decision was very shortsighted.
2. WALL STREET JOURNAL: ANOTHER HATCHET JOB
The Tuesday, November 19th issue of the Wall Street Journal contained an article by Robert J. Davis that trashed the chiropractic profession. This is not the first time the Wall Street Journal has done so. The article started with a passing comment about the success of chiropractic, but then went into the tired old comments about our lack of competence and the dangers of treatment. It closed by stating that if you want a referral to a chiropractor you should seek someone who is a member of the National Association of Chiropractic Medicine (NACM). Since this group doesn't publish its membership list, I would suspect that this would be difficult to do. Naturally, we have prepared a response. You can view it here: <http://www.acatoday.com/media/record/wsj_4.shtml>
Often times you can account for a reporter's bias simply by his or her ignorance of chiropractic. But not this time. This reporter did contact ACA's national spokesperson, Dr. Jerome McAndrews, to obtain his input. But if you read the article, you wouldn't know that Dr. McAndrews was interviewed at all. This is an example of a reporter who had made up his mind about the story before he even wrote it.
We can always do a better job in public relations. I think we do a good job with the resources we have, but obviously we could do more if we had more funds. Hopefully, in the not too distant future when we have the lawsuits behind us, we can start focusing more resources in this area. However, even if we had all the resources in the world, we would still face reporters who investigate stories with a preconceived notion of what they will find. I'd say the Wall Street Journal story is a perfect example.
3. NEW YORK MAGAZINE PRAISES CHIROPRACTIC: A DIFFERENT VIEW OF THE PROFESSION
The same week that Dr. McAndrews was interviewed for the Wall Street Journal article, he was also interviewed by a reporter for New York Magazine, a popular lifestyle magazine in the New York City area with a circulation of more than 430,000. This magazine offered a completely different perspective from the Wall Street Journal article. The November 18 New York Magazine story contained an article titled "Take That Back," featuring ACA members Douglas Seckendorf, DC, and Karen Erickson, DC. It also quoted ACA spokesperson Dr. Jerome McAndrews, sa well as two other doctors of chiropractic in the New York area.
"Who's treating the chronic aches and pains of some of Manhattan's most demanding patients?" the article begins. "A whole new class of chiropractors like Douglas Seckendorf, whose high-tech offices and great hands are raising the status of an oft-maligned spinal specialty (even if some orthopedists still get a little bent out of shape on the subject)." It talked about the extensive list of patients including Nancy and Henry Kissinger, Roger Ailes and Ober-investment banker Pete Peterson.
Click here for a link to the full story: <http://www.newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/health/features/n_7991/index.html>
4. SENATOR TIM JOHNSON'S OPPONENT CONCEDES (AND OTHER CLOSE RACES): THE LESSON TO BE LEARNED
Republican Rep. John Thune announced recently that he would not seek a recount in the senatorial race that pitted him against Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD). Thune lost by only 524 out of 335,000 total votes. By law, Thune was entitled to a recount because the margin was so narrow, but he decided against doing so.
A total of 524 votes decided the election. As I reported last week, the ACA contributed the maximum amount of money to Tim Johnson's campaign, sent out letters to our members urging support and purchased over 2,000 30-second radio ad spots.
We were also on the winning side in other tight senate races, including Jim Talent vs. Jean Carnahan in Missouri where Jim Talent won by a margin of 1%, and the Norm Coleman vs. Walter Mondale race in Minnesota where Coleman won by a margin of only 2%.
I mention this not just because it makes us look good, but also to illustrate how a small organization can make a big difference in tight races. Yes, I think we can take some of the credit for the outcomes of these races.
5. VA ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING TO BE HELD IN DECEMBER
The Federal Register included a notice regarding the upcoming meeting of the Chiropractic Advisory Committee scheduled for December 4th and 5th in Washington, D.C. The agenda for the committee includes presentations by various chiropractic members of the committee on a wide variety of subjects, including the clinical practice settings, the ACC Paradigm, scope of practice and competency evaluation and research. Also on the agenda is a separate discussion on scope of chiropractic practice. It is suspected that the outcome of this discussion will go a long way in determining the effectiveness of the committee.
6. ACA LEADERSHIP IN OHIO
ACA president Daryl D. Wills and his wife Bobbi attended the 33rd annual convention of the Ohio State Chiropractic Association (OSCA), November 15-16 in Columbus, Ohio. Some 200 doctors and chiropractic assistants attended the meeting. Joined by ACA alternate delegate Dr. Rob Sheely and Dr. Jim Powell, Dr. Wills was given numerous opportunities to speak about ACA issues, including the National Chiropractic Legal Action Fund (NCLAF). He addressed the attendees of the PAC reception on Friday night, and then again the next day at the awards luncheon where he was presented with a check from OSCA for $6,940 for the NCLAF and numerous pledge sheets. Ohio doctors have been some of the strongest supporters of the NCLAF. This contribution by the OSCA brings its total contribution to $46,300. If you include the contributions by Ohio's district societies, the total contribution is $90,000.
7. SHARE THIS REPORT WITH OTHERS
If you feel this report has value and you would like it to be sent to some non-members as a way to show them what we are trying to accomplish, please let me know by providing their email addresses.
8. MASTERS CIRCLE: UNITY IN THE AIR
There was strong support for unity and for the chiropractic lawsuits at the Masters Circle program in Orlando, Florida, November 15 and 16. The program was attended by 1,200 doctors. Dr. Larry Markson, one of the principles in the Masters Circle, made a strong pitch not only for a unified profession, but also for support of ACA's lawsuits. ACA chairman James Edwards, DC, followed Dr. Markson and was given an opportunity to update the audience on the progress of the lawsuits and to discuss other achievements of the ACA as well. Both Drs. Edwards and Markson received strong support and applause for their comments, and the presentation resulted in contributions to the legal action fund.
Dr. Markson and his Masters Circle partners have been one of the first and most active practice management consultants to come out in favor of the lawsuits. Earlier in the year his company contributed $5,000 to the legal action fund and sent out a letter to his clients urging their support as well. Recently he sent another notice supporting the suit against Trigon. And at the Orlando program he signed a pledge to contribute $500 a month for the duration of the lawsuits.
I will say it again, no single event since the Wilk case has done more to unify this profession than our lawsuits.
9. MAINE STATE ASSOCIATION STEPS UP ITS SUPPORT
The Maine Chiropractic Association showed its support for the lawsuits by offering a matching challenge to their members. They offered to match contributions up to $5,000. Their members responded with contributions of $6,100, and ACA received an envelope containing $11,100 for the legal action fund. All of this from a state that only has 190 licensed doctors of chiropractic.
10. OTHER ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT
Last week we also received contributions to the legal action fund from the following sources:
 | Florida Chiropractic Association: $1,250, bringing its total to $20,000
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| Georgia Chiropractic Association District 1: $500, bringing its total to $1,500
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| Georgia Chiropractic Association District 6: $300 (first contribution)
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| Georgia Chiropractic Association District 2: $250 (first contribution)
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| Central Jersey Chiropractic Society: $500 (first contribution)
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| Missouri State Chiropractic Society, Southeast District 4: $1,000 (first contribution) |
11. COCSA MEETING WAS A SUCCESS
Two weeks ago, ACA president Daryl D. Wills, DC, Pat Jackson and I traveled to Charlotte, North
Carolina, to attend the annual meeting of the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations (COCSA). This meeting attracted over 120 practitioners and executive directors representing the leadership of state associations with both ACA and ICA affiliations. COCSA demonstrated that this profession can work together. The program itself was good, and the spirit of cooperation between state associations was outstanding.
COCSA gave us many opportunities to discuss our activities. And on Friday, Pat Jackson presented a well-received program on insurance relations.
On Friday night, Dr. Wills and I participated in a roast of Kent Greenawalt, president of Foot Levelers, Inc., on his 50th birthday. ACA was also one of the co-sponsors for the event. It was a lot of fun, and Kent took the ribbing in stride. Foot Levelers and the Greenawalts have done a lot for this profession, and it was great that we could honor Kent and have fun at the same time.
On Saturday, Dr. Wills and I participated in a panel discussion. I was able to discuss ACA legislative achievements for the year, while Dr. Wills presented on the lawsuits. At the lunch sponsored by Foot Levelers, the leadership of COCSA and Kent Greenawalt made a strong pitch for the legal action fund, which resulted in numerous contributions.
12. CAN'T ACCESS THESE LINKS?
Some of you have been unable to download my PDF links. To view these file types, you need Adobe's Acrobat Reader. This is a free utility available at
www.adobe.com. If you need further assistance viewing anything referred to in this report, please e-mail me at
gcuneo@amerchiro.org.
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