Reuters Health reports that these results were not what the researchers expected to find when they began the study, which tracked survival after a heart attack among nearly 2,500 veterans treated at VA hospitals and almost 30,000 Medicare patients who were treated at other hospitals. Contrary to the perception that VA medical centers provide inferior healthcare, the veterans were just as likely to be alive a year after the heart attack as the Medicare patients even though the veterans were more likely than their Medicare counterparts to have a history of several ailments including high blood pressure, diabetes, lung disease, stroke, or dementia. The VA operates the largest U.S. health care system with 139 hospitals serving 3.5 million veterans annually. The Abilene Reporter-News reports that military retirees and dependents will not be eligible for the new services. The new legislation requires that chiropractic health care be made available to all military branches within the next five years.
Chiropractic medicine involves manual and electronic manipulation and adjustment of the spine.
Chiropractors say the body's structure affects all bodily functions, and the base of that structure is the spinal column. Because chiropractic services do not involve prescription drugs, the treatment is appealing to pilots and other aircrew members who must be grounded if they are taking certain medications. While active-duty Navy and Marine Corps personnel may request evaluations to determine suitability for surgery regardless of job specialty or warfare community, priority will be placed on sailors or Marines whose military duties require them to work in extreme physical environments that preclude the safe use of glasses or contact lenses. Stars and Stripes reports that earlier this year, GAO investigators visited commands and bases at 19 sites in the Mideast, Europe, and the Pacific. Specific problems found at installations visited were omitted from the report for security reasons.