Notes from the AAMA Legislative Committee
— By Donna Pittman, MD and Gavin Elliott, MD, FAAMA
We recently received an inquiry from a California AAMA member asking what the AAMA does regarding advocacy, policy tracking, and updates. We thought it would be helpful to share the answers with all of our AAMA members.
The AAMA subscribes to Bill Track 50, a platform that tracks state and national bills and regulations. We receive and monitor daily reports on bills and state board regulations dealing with acupuncture and related topics such as dry needling, and chronic pain. Bill Track 50 provides an AI-generated summary along with information on the bills’ authors, committee assignments, progress, and status.
When we find bills that are directed at acupuncture in a particular state, we reach out to those state members with information about the bill, committee meetings, and legislators to contact. Members are asked to send emails to the bills’ authors and committee chairs to relate their personal experiences and tell how the bills may affect their practices.
We are currently following House bill, US HR1667 “Acupuncture for Our Seniors,” which would amend Title XVIII of the Social Security Act to permit licensed acupuncturists to be primary providers of “qualified acupuncture services” for Medicare patients. This would eliminate the requirement for LAcs to operate under and bill for services through physicians.
We are also watching 49 bills on acupuncture in 14 states and seven bills on dry needling in four states. Not all bills require letters or input from the AAMA or its members. But be assured that we will reach out to you on legislation that matters.
An aside:
You are likely familiar with the famous quotes from Sir William Osler, physician acupuncturist:
“It is much more important to know what sort of a patient has a disease than what sort of a disease a patient has.”
“The good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease.”
We encourage you to read the article in the August 2025 Medical Acupuncture journal, “The Famous Sir William Osler: A Physician Acupuncturist and His Pain,” by Dr. Arthur Yin Fan. It’s an interesting piece about the renowned doctor, his use of hatpins to perform acupuncture in the late 1800s, and a prominent patient with adverse event. (AAMA members log-in for free access.)
