What is Chiropractic Advocacy?

Every January, legislators from across the state gather in Nashville to review and vote on laws and regulations that will affect Tennesseans for years to come.  Each legislator brings their own educational and life experiences which shape their perspective.  However, they do not always have experience or access to information on how their constituents and patients of chiropractic might be affected.  As a healthcare expert, you are uniquely qualified to help your elected representatives understand the practical implications of healthcare policy proposals.

Each legislative session, thousands of bills are brought by interest groups that have the potential to positively and negatively impact the chiropractic profession and your bottom line.  The TCA quickly works through each and every one of these bills to see how they might impact our members, while at the same time, working our pro-active legislative agenda.

Additionally, as sessions become more and more fast-paced, we cannot be guaranteed that legislators have had the opportunity to fully review every bill that comes before them for their vote.  There is no shortage of paid lobbyists and special interest groups who aggressively try to influence Tennessee legislators; however, the TCA is the only statewide association advocating for chiropractic in the midst of numerous lobbyists for other provider groups, business interests, insurers and others.  Therefore, it is our job as chiropractic advocates to educate our elected officials and be certain that they have the information they need to make the best decisions possible.

Things will likely move at a fast pace this session, as has become the norm, and so our readiness and your early involvement is fundamental to our successes this year.  During the 2024 legislative session, the TCA made significant progress on our insurance bill with it passing the House and gaining significant support in the Senate.  Since adjournment last spring, we have been strengthening our efforts, participating in meetings with legislators, state administrators, other health provider groups and interest groups to build on our momentum and foster consensus for our legislative agenda.

While our strong team of TCA lobbyists speak out for chiropractic on “the Hill”, state legislators are most responsive to their constituents – people who vote in their districts. The legislator’s job is to represent the people of their district, so they need to know that a specific issue is a priority in their community.  It takes the people who live and work in the community to sway them. That’s where YOU come in!

In today’s political climate, it can be difficult to know how to approach advocacy.  It is important to remember that a focus on the specific issue will allow constructive conversation to occur regardless of political ideation.  Media and social platforms seem to encourage division based on party or other high emotion factor.  However, when we decline to argue and instead approach the meeting with mutual respect and focus on establishing a common ground and building trust, we can build relationships that welcome communication and collaboration and thereby enable us to advocate for our profession and our patients effectively.  This is especially true when working with a legislator who may hold vastly different views than ourselves.  Sometimes we may not get all we want out of a piece of legislation, but by educating legislators and listening to their concerns, we may reach a strategic compromise that puts our issues on the path to being resolved.  As the adage goes, “Rome was not built in a day”, so too legislative efforts are often long-term goals that are worked over months, and even years.  Sometimes this results in a seemingly “instant” success all at once, while other times, it is a series of small victories over time that together move the needle of progress forward.

Here are 5 helpful tips for how YOU can help make a difference for your community:

• Educate yourself. Stay up to date with TCA publications detailing actions, talking points, progress and hurdles.  Know your personal legislators and where they stand on issues important to you.  Familiarize yourself with the basic flow of legislation through the process so you can respond at the appropriate times.
• Be involved in the process. Contact your legislators and others in key positions and voice your support/concerns about the legislation that is coming before them.  Offer to speak with them 1 on 1 to discuss how the bill will affect you, your practice, your employees and your patients.  If you have a patient who has a story to tell that illustrates the issue clearly, ask them to share it with the legislators or to give you permission to share on their behalf.
• Remember to focus on education and building relationships rather than arguing a point of view. You are a professional in the healthcare arena and your encounters with legislators should reflect that mutual respect and responsibility towards the community you serve.
• Attend Chiropractic Day on the Hill. This is an excellent opportunity to attend briefings that help you become more familiar with the process as well as the intricacies of legislation.  You will have the opportunity to view committee meetings to see how they work in real time.  We strive to schedule as many attendees as possible with their personal legislator(s).  And if this is a new arena for you, there will be others who can attend the meetings with you for support and assistance.  To get a glimpse of what a typical Day on the Hill looks like, view this short video:  What is Chiropractic Day on the Hill?
• Support the TCA PAC. The TCA PAC is the only PAC that specifically works to elect pro-chiropractic candidates to the State House and Senate.  A nonpartisan fund, the TCA PAC works to elect members to the Tennessee General Assembly who have a record of support for the chiropractic community, who understand our unique perspective and who are willing to champion Chiropractic issues.  For more information about the TCA PAC, view this infographic:  TCA PAC FAQ

 

In the 2025 legislative session, we anticipate there will again be scope bills as well as a large amount of bills impacting healthcare and insurance, plus caption bills and other bills that could impact the business of healthcare.

In addition to our TCA pro-active efforts in 2025, we are prepared to play defense on all proposed legislation that has the potential to negatively affect you and your patients.  Nationally, we continue to monitor legislative developments impacting chiropractic as well.

Join with the TCA as we work to promote and protect the practice of chiropractic and advocate for the chiropractic profession in Tennessee.

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Do you know your Senator and Representative?

Contact them and let them know you can be their resource on matters impacting chiropractic care and your community.  Inform the TCA of your legislative connections!
Click here to find your legislators!

Resources:

Dean, Kevin. “Showing Up As Nonpartisan Advocates For Our Communities In Partisan Political Spaces”  Tennessee Nonprofit Network  https://tnnonprofits.org/nonprofit-leaders-cant-let-political-ideology-keep-us-from-showing-up-as-nonpartisan-advocates-for-our-communities/  ACCESSED 2/20/25

American Chiropractic Association   “Advocacy”  https://www.acatoday.org/advocacy/  ACCESSED 2/20/25

American Chiropractic Association   “Advocate’s Guide to Legislative Engagement”  https://www.acatoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/ACA_GuideLegislativeEngagement2324.pdf   ACCESSED 2/20/25

Tennessee Chiropractic Association  “TCA Protecting and Promoting Chiropractic on the Hill in 2025”  https://www.tnchiro.com/advocacy/government-affairs/