Federal: HR539

Tell your representative: send H.R. 539 to committee markup with a CBO score, and pass it into law with the profession's three improvements before the end of 2026.

Bill Summary

H.R. 539, the Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act of 2025, would expand Medicare coverage of chiropractic services beyond the single service covered today. Under Medicare Part B, the only covered chiropractic service is manual manipulation of the spine to correct a vertebral subluxation. Examinations, X-rays, and therapies are not covered, even when necessary - patients must pay for those services out of pocket. The bill has broad bipartisan support: 167 cosponsors (96 Republicans and 71 Democrats). What it needs now is committee action: a markup with a CBO score, and passage into law this year with three improvements the profession has united behind:

State-authorized scope with clear boundaries, including E/M services and conservative non-drug, non-surgical neuromusculoskeletal care, and explicitly excluding drugs, surgery, and obstetrics.

Equal Medicare opt-out and private-contracting rights.

A timely implementation deadline.

The Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act, H.R. 539, finally fixes that. When it passes, Medicare's chiropractic coverage will reflect what doctors of chiropractic are already licensed by their states to do, similar to the broader recognition already seen in the VA, Department of Defense, federal employee health plans, and private insurance. Nothing in the bill changes any state's scope of practice. Medicare is a payer, not a scope authority; it simply brings chiropractors into parity with other physician-level Medicare providers. The support is already there: 166 House cosponsors, nearly evenly split between the parties. What the bill needs now is a committee vote. That is exactly what constituent pressure produces.

Why It Matters to MAHA

This is MAHA in one bill: root-cause, non-drug, non-surgical care; patient choice; and healthcare freedom for seniors who should not be forced into limited and often higher-risk options before conservative care. It is also a state-autonomy bill. There is no federal scope grab and no national standard imposed. The bill defers entirely to each state's authorized scope of practice, so Medicare simply follows what each state has already decided its licensed chiropractors may do, and it draws a clear boundary: coverage does not extend to drugs, surgery, or obstetrics, and the profession is not asking for them. Chiropractors are licensed in all 50 states, and every state sets its own scope. Medicare's 1972 restriction is exactly the kind of outdated, government-imposed limitation on patient choice that MAHA exists to remove. Modernizing Medicare to reflect state licensure, current professional standards, and what patients already choose is a core MAHA objective.