It never ceases to amaze me how easily we rationalize
and justify the things we do and then manage to excuse them
away as if they never happened or we were not responsible for
them. Recently, a letter came in the mail from the Anti-
Chiropractic Association. You know the letters I mean,
yellow paper, labeled “alert,” or “special action” or some
other attention-grabbing gimmick. I read them, I’m not sure
why, but I read them, at least as long as I can stand to.
This one struck me however by the big red printing on the
outside of the yellow and blue envelope. It said, “20 years
ago your enemies dictated your inferior status under
Medicare…you can change it now!” I guess this organization
must think that chiropractors have forgotten the events that
got us into Medicare twenty years ago. Or else, they are
counting on the fact that the majority of chiropractors
practicing today were not in practice in 1975 and that they
have had virtually no education in chiropractic history.
The fact is that no one dictated our status in Medicare
twenty years ago. There was a concerted effort by both
national organizations to get in on Medicare. It was, up
until now, the greatest public relations effort, joint
cooperation effort and grass-roots politics effort in the
history of the chiropractic profession. Millions of letters,
phone calls and contacts with government officials and
legislators were instrumental in getting us into Medicare.
We got in on our own efforts and got exactly what we wanted.
We got minimum adjustments only for conditions that are
demonstrable on x-ray. It was very little but we were as
happy as pigs at the trough. When you have nothing, table
scraps seem like a banquet. Those that got us the table
scraps are now the ones complaining and blaming the situation
on someone else (the medical establishment). In the history
of this profession we have always gotten exactly what we
wanted and were satisfied at the moment with that situation.
The problem is that we have organizations and leadership
in our profession who put a little acceptance above
principle. In 1975, we said “let’s get our foot in the door
of Medicare, then we can get all the way in.” Well, it’s
1995 and we still have only one slightly bruised foot in the
door. A more recent example is the CHAMPUS program, getting
chiropractic into the military. The Department of Defense
has decided that chiropractic care should not be given to
military dependents under the age of seventeen or to pregnant
women. We will probably accept that as another foot in the
door and twenty years from now complain about it. The real
issue, in the not too distant future, is what are we going to
do about National Health Care Reform? Are we going to play
the same foot in the door game? Wouldn’t it be great if we
could act like a principled profession and argue from a
position of strength and principle? We should be saying to
the Department of Defense, “Look, we believe children under
17 and pregnant women need chiropractic as much, perhaps
more, than anyone else (if chiropractic is to allow the
innate potential of any individual to be expressed, who but a
young child and fetus has more potential to be expressed?).
If you will not allow us to come into the program on our
terms (everybody with a spine and nervous system), then we do
not want in. Do you think that would make a few people sit
up and look at our philosophy and respect our profession?
But the national organizations cannot do that. They have to
get the table scraps for their members. They cannot act on
principle. They must play the politics game. Of course, it
is really to their advantage. Getting only part of what the
members want assures their continued need and perpetuates
their organizational existence. If they were totally
successful, they would no longer be needed. But this way
there is always more for them to do, providing employment for
the chiropractic politicians and chiropractic bureaucrats
(and their lawyer brothers).
I find it interesting that when someone mentions the
national chiropractic organizations, they always say “ICA and
ACA.” They rarely ever mention the FSCO. It use to annoy
me but as I think about the differences in the organizations,
I can see that there is no comparison, at least not enough
that they should be mentioned in the same breath. In a true
sense the FSCO is not a trade organization. Trade
organizations exist supposedly to serve their members.
Although, usually they exist to perpetuate themselves. The
FSCO exists to serve the objective straight chiropractic
philosophy. The trade organizations were willing to accept
“limited” chiropractic inclusion in Medicare 20 years ago.
They are willing to accept limited chiropractic inclusion in
CHAMPUS and will undoubtedly accept limited chiropractic in
National Health Care Reform (which could “limit” the
profession out of existence). The FSCO, on the other hand,
publicly holds to the position that chiropractors do not
belong in socialized medicine, at least not in the disease-
care model that is being presented. The trade organizations
are committed to helping their members just enough to
convince the membership that the organization is needed and
justify its existence. If they help the membership to become
successful, independent practitioners who need no one or
anything to assure their continued success, then they no
longer have a reason for existence. They must maintain a
fine balance. A foot in the door is the way they maintain
that balance. The FSCO, on the other hand, works toward
creating chiropractors who are successful, independent and
need only their hands and their philosophy to have rewarding
lives. Look at their programs (Triune seminars as well as
any other FSCO-sponsored seminars, cash practice videos).
The FSCO’s objective is to create chiropractors who do not
need them, who need no one (government, insurance company,
trade organization, etc.). That is why the FSCO will always
be small and will never compete with the trade organizations.
Their role and objective is as different as is the
chiropractic objective of straights and mixers.
This is not a commercial for the FSCO, because frankly,
it does not have a lot to offer chiropractors, at least the
things most chiropractor want from a trade organization. It
also does not have officers and a staff that need to
perpetuate the organization to provide themselves with income
or to stroke their egos. If you are a successful, not-
dependent-upon-insurance or-Medicare practitioner, you do not
need to belong to the FSCO. If you are a struggling, young
chiropractor or trying to become a straight or cash-practice-
type chiropractor, you really do not need to belong. You can
go to their seminars and avail yourself of their programs
without being a member. You can meet, talk to and learn from
their members who are more than willing to help anyone become
a successful, independent-straight chiropractor. Frankly,
there is no practical reason why anyone should join the FSCO.
However, there are some moral and philosophical reasons.
It is the only organization not willing to compromise the
philosophy to get a foot in the door. It is the only
organization not willing to turn over to our “enemies” the
right to “dictate our inferior status” under any
circumstances. Most important, it is the only national
organization dedicated to preserving the principle of
chiropractic and the rights of chiropractors to practice it
according to a rational objective philosophy.v12n1