AMTA IL Chapter Newsletter April 2021

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April 09, 2021

Sunset Proposal

Every licensing profession in the State of Illinois gets reviewed every 10 years to ensure the need for the licensing act. This process is called Sunset. Our licensing act is currently in sunset. The Department of Finance and Professional Regulation and AMTA-IL Government Relations Committee had discussed changes to the Act. The proposed changes are now going to the legislation for a final vote of approval. It can be located at:

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/billstatus.asp?DocNum=2431&GAID=16&GA=102&DocTypeID=HB&LegID=131206&SessionID=110 Click on Full Text to read the Act.

HB 2431is the Act and it has passed the Healthcare Licenses Committee unanimously and is waiting for the third reading before being sent to the House. Once the House passes HB 2431, it will go to the Senate for the same process.

An easy way to have your voice heard, is to fill out a witness slip. You can fill out a witness slip stating your position by going to www.ilga.gov . Click on “Reports and Inquiry” near the bottom of the left-hand column. Once you are on the Dashboard, in the upper right-hand corner, is the option to log in. The first time you go there you will have to create a log in. I really encourage you to do this. If you have a log in, all of your personal information will populate each time you submit a witness slip. It is also the only way you can correct a witness slip if you hit the wrong position (it happens more than you think). The same bill may be posted to a committee for several weeks and each time it is posted, you must create a new witness slip since they do not carry over. Creating a log in saves a lot of time overall.

You can also contact your local state representative and senator by letter or email, when available. Below is a sample letter.

We are also attempting to educate legislators on the benefits of Massage Therapy. If sending a letter or email please also add the handout from National.

Thank you for your efforts.

Linda Moore

Government Relationship Chair

Sample Letter

To whom it may concern,

As a Licensed Massage Therapist in the State of IL, I am requesting your support for HB 2431. HB 2431 is the proposed renewal for the Massage Licensed Act that is currently in sunset. The American Massage Therapy Association IL Chapter (AMTA-IL) and the IL Department of Finance and Professional Regulations (IDFPR) have discussed the Act and are in agreement with the changes that are represented in HB 2431. We would appreciate your support in agreeing with this Bill and co-sponsoring it.

To further promote the profession, I would like to meet with you to discuss the indications and benefits of Massage Therapy. AMTA 2021 Massage Profession Research Report states that 83% of Americans feel massage therapy should be considered healthcare. Half of the nation’s physicians have recommended massage therapy. As Massage Therapists, we work as healthcare providers providing a significant role in the integrative approach to healthcare. We do work individually without the need for medical referral. The enclosed information sheet was developed by our National AMTA association.

As you can see Massage Therapy can be used in various conditions and treatment approaches:

Pain management
Behavioral Health
Rehabilitation
Acute medical treatment
General wellness.

The Veterans Administration (VA) has been referring clients to massage therapy as a means of working with PTSD and rehabilitation efforts. Medicare and 3rd party payers are now covering massage therapy.

In regards to opioid addiction, the National Association of Attorney’s General presented to the America’s Health Insurers Plans (AHIP) that “Massage Therapy is not the only solution to this problem, but it is an important part of a comprehensive national approach to reducing addiction and its attendant costs”. The cost benefits for IL can be seen on the attachment.

Since the licensing act is to protect the consumer, it is in the best interest to move the profession forward as healthcare, in partnership with the legislative process.

I would love to meet with you for further discussion.

Thank your for your time,

Your name here

Informative Flyer

https://www.amtamassage.org/globalassets/documents/advocacy/illinois.pdf

Please visit the link above for statistics and information provided by AMTA.

American Massage Therapy Association - IL Chapter