I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 344 
To require the Secretary of Defense to develop and implement a plan to 
provide chiropractic health care services for certain covered beneficiaries 
as part of the TRICARE program. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 8, 2019 
Mr. ROGERS of Alabama (for himself and Mr. LOEBSACK) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of Defense to develop and imple-
ment a plan to provide chiropractic health care services 
for certain covered beneficiaries as part of the TRICARE 
program. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Chiropractic Health 
Parity for Military Beneficiaries Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. CHIROPRACTIC HEALTH CARE SERVICES FROM THE 
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FOR CERTAIN 
COVERED BENEFICIARIES. 
(a) PLAN REQUIRED.—Not later than 30 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Defense shall complete development of a plan to provide 
chiropractic health care services and benefits for eligible 
covered beneficiaries as a permanent part of the TRI-
CARE program. 
(b) CONTENTS OF PLAN.—The plan developed under 
subsection (a) shall require that a contract entered into 
under section 1097 of title 10, United States Code, for 
the delivery of health care services shall— 
(1) include the delivery of chiropractic services 
to eligible covered beneficiaries; 
(2) require that chiropractic services may be 
provided only by a doctor of chiropractic; and 
(3) provide that an eligible covered beneficiary 
may select and have direct access to a doctor of 
chiropractic without referral by another health prac-
titioner. 
(c) IMPLEMENTATION OF PLAN.—The plan developed 
under subsection (a) shall provide for implementation of 
the plan to begin not later than 60 days after the date 
on which the plan is completed. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
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(1) The term ‘‘chiropractic services’’— 
(A) includes diagnosis (including by diag-
nostic x-ray tests), evaluation and management, 
and therapeutic services for the treatment of a 
patient’s health condition, including neuromus-
culoskeletal conditions and the subluxation com-
plex, and such other services determined appro-
priate by the Secretary of Defense and as au-
thorized under State law; and 
(B) does not include the use of drugs or 
surgery. 
(2) The term ‘‘covered beneficiary’’ has the 
meaning given that term in section 1072(5) of title 
10, United States Code. 
(3) The term ‘‘eligible covered beneficiary’’ 
means a covered beneficiary excluding a dependent 
of a member or former member of a uniformed serv-
ice. 
(4) The term ‘‘dependent’’ has the meaning 
given that term in section 1072(2) of title 10, 
United States Code. 
(5) The term ‘‘doctor of chiropractic’’ means 
only a doctor of chiropractic who is licensed as a 
doctor of chiropractic, chiropractic physician, or chi-
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ropractor by a State, the District of Columbia, or a 
territory or possession of the United States. 
(6) The term ‘‘TRICARE program’’ has the 
meaning given that term in section 1072(7) of title 
10, United States Code. 
Æ 
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