I’ve been a member of AMTA for a number of years, and recently felt called to join ABMP as well. Both of these fine organizations serve our profession in their individual ways. I am also nationally certified, which people are sometimes surprised to hear if they have read some of my postings about the NCBTMB. I am currently serving on North Carolina’s state board.
I regularly disagree with other board members, and I’m not shy about voicing my opinion. I have, in the past, written letters to the leadership of AMTA when I was upset with them about something. I haven’t been a member of ABMP long enough to give them a hard time about anything, but I would feel free to do so if I was upset with them for some reason. I also belong to a number of Internet networks and forums, most of which have a big community of massage therapists participating.
My last rant was about speaking up or losing out, and I want to expand on that, for a couple of reasons. One, I don’t get very many public comments on this blog. I am frequently amazed at the number of emails I receive, and even phone calls, from people who don’t want to publicly post a response. While I am thrilled and flattered to hear from my readers, it’s distressing that people won’t voice their opinion for the rest of the world to see. Some of them can’t because they are under a gag order from an entity I don’t have to name here; you can just take a wild guess.
Two, and I have been noticing this since I became a massage therapist, there is a core group who does indeed care about what goes on in our profession as far as our legislation, governance, and credentialing is concerned. I see those same dedicated people everywhere I go. They attend Board meetings and sign in for public comment time so they can offer their opinion. They attend our state and national conventions, and yes, some come for the classes and the fellowship in general, but others are there so they can have a voice on top of the other perks of attendance. They contact their legislators and association leaders, and send out e-mail blasts asking the rest of us to do the same. They run for office, they serve on committees, they participate in the Internet networks and forums, they share research and everyday concerns. They take the time to find out the facts. They step up to the plate.
I’ve watched while people cycled through every position in their professional association, and some continue to serve longer than they really want to because there is no one in the wings to take their place. Those same individuals serve on committee after committee and task force after task force because of the lack of volunteers coming forward, and these folks have been good enough not to leave an organization hanging for lack of fresh volunteers.
I’d like to recognize those people, but I feel I would be remiss to name one or two and not name them all. Some of them don’t want to see their name in my blog, lest people think they share my opinions! They know who they are, though most of them are too humble to say so. They are the ones who look beyond their personal space to the greater good of our profession. When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
One more thing: On this Memorial Day, remember this is about those who served the rest of us for the greater good with the ultimate sacrifice, and not just an excuse for a weekend at the lake and a cookout.
Peace & Prosperity,
Laura Allen
Regulation of massage therapy is at an all-time high on a state level. During 2009 alone, almost 30 states have already considered, or are currently considering, legislation that stands to impact our profession, according to the website of the American Massage Therapy Association. As usual, the various states are following their own agendas for regulation, and I’m not saying that’s necessarily a bad thing. What I am saying is that I think we’re missing the bigger picture here.
Reform of health care policies on a national level is imminent and long overdue; the system is broken. In 2007, the latest year that statistics are available for, over 46 million Americans were without health insurance, and 80% of those are people who are gainfully employed, not people on welfare. Health care costs are out of control; about 1.5 million people lose their homes to foreclosure in the average year due to overwhelming medical expenses, and in a recession economy, that figure goes up exponentially in proportion to unemployment figures.
What does this have to do with the massage profession? At this point in time, nothing, because we’re not making any sort of concerted effort to have any voice in national health care reform, and that’s a shame. Not only are we missing out by not speaking out en masse for our due recognition as a licensed health care profession; many of us are also self-employed people who can’t afford our own health insurance, and/or small business people who either can’t afford to provide benefits for our employees, or in some states, are being financially crippled by the laws directing us to do so.
Other legislation, such as the freedom to choose the health care the individual wants, is a huge issue that we, as united professionals, should be proactively committed to fighting the good fight for. Our profession has made a lot of strides in recent years, and we can’t stand idly by and backslide, or as private citizens, watch while our individual rights are taken away.
There’s real strength in our numbers. Associated Massage & Bodywork Professionals has over 67,000 members. The American Massage Therapy Association has over 58,000. 91,000 practitioners are nationally certified. That’s a lot of professionals who ought to make their voice heard. Add to that the 30 state boards that are members of the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards, all the AMTA leadership on both the state chapter and national levels, and the assistance that ABMP gives in state legislative efforts, and that could be an impressive show of force for participating in, and making a difference in, the substance and intent of the winds of change that are blowing on the national health care scene. If the National Certification Board would direct all the lobbyists and lawyers they’ve hired, and all the money they’re spending in trying to block the Federation and the MBLEx, and spend it instead on lobbying for national health care reform that would be fair and beneficial to massage therapists, that alone would be a huge amount of money and effort that would actually be of benefit to our profession and consumers alike.
The public is at the mercy of the insurance and pharmaceutical companies and unethical medical practitioners who gouge the system. Massage therapists are treated unfairly in most places by the insurance companies; for instance, in many states, massage therapy is not covered at all, and in others, is covered only when performed in an MD or chiropractic office under supervision. In the case of the latter, there are many chiropractors who hire untrained people at a cheap wage to be muscle-rubbers and bill the insurance company the same amount they would if the work were being performed by a professional therapist.
Another issue is Medicare, which won’t pay for massage at all. The big injustice with that are the many people who have a supplemental policy such as BCBS that would normally pay for their massage when performed under the MD or chiropractor, but because Medicare is considered the primary insurance and it won’t pay, neither will the secondary policy. It’s just another way the present system is screwing elderly and disabled people.
Our professional leadership, and we as individual citizens, must rise up and make a big noise on a national level. We are licensed health care professionals and we should not be discounted or left out of the decision-making loop. If you belong to one of the professional associations, contact the leadership and urge them to get more involved in health care reforms on a national level. They work for you, the membership. If you’re nationally certified, contact the leadership of the NCB and tell them to turn their efforts toward something productive. They work for you, the certificants.
As an individual massage therapist, and business person if that applies to you, make it a priority to keep abreast of the developments that have the potential to impact you. Both AMTA and ABMP websites maintain frequently updated sections with current legislative actions that are being considered. Contact your government representatives and speak your mind. They work for you, the taxpayer. The only thing louder than your voice is your silence.
Peace & Prosperity,
Laura Allen
