The American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM) has released its position regarding HB 3200, the health care reform bill proposed by the Obama administration. While ACAM believes healthcare reform is vital and necessary for America, it is our position that integrative medicine principles be included to yield the desired result of creating a more efficient, wellness-centered approach to healthcare.

ACAM believes that true healthcare reform comes from a shift in thought regarding individual attitudes toward health and wellness as well as a systematic overhaul of the conventional primary care model. To ensure the success of the healthcare reform initiative, ACAM believes that primary-care physicians must be given more time and resources to devote to each patient; that government sponsored healthcare should include coverage for evidence-based integrative medicine treatments, and that individuals should be empowered with the tools, resources and information necessary to live in wellness. Inclusion of these principles would ensure that preventable chronic diseases and conditions are reduced within the population and that individuals, in conjunction with physicians, are afforded the freedom to choose treatment options that are best suited to individual needs.

Integrative medicine incorporates practical elements from wellness programs, nutrition, and alternatives to allopathic treatments with the best of conventional care. ACAM believes that an integrative-medicine based healthcare system would be most effective in creating true healthcare reform.

By increasing the promotion, information dissemination, and awareness of preventive medicine and nutritional wellness programs, government healthcare spending would yield greater efficiency as lifestyle-related conditions decrease and quality of health in America increases. This win-win system not only reduces excess government spending on preventable conditions but allows everyone as a nation to thrive.

Source
American College for Advancement in Medicine