RALEIGH – State lawmakers are preparing to grapple with just how much North Carolina residents should pay out of pocket for a chiropractic visit.

Laws have flipped between treating chiropractors as primary care doctors and specialists. But a new proposal would change that determination again.

In 2005, the General Assembly voted to make primary and chiropractic care comparable services – at least from the standpoint of how much money patients pay.

That vote was later negated when lawmakers found out the original proposal came from disgraced Speaker Jim Black, who court records would later show took illegal donations from the chiropractic industry.

A new bill would once again make chiropractic visits the same cost as primary care visits.

Those in the industry say this makes sense.

"It saves people money too," chiropractor Mark Jensen said. "It saves insurance companies money – healthier people are, the less money they spend on insurance."

But those in the insurance industry argue this wouldn't mean cost savings in the long run because of what it would do to insurance rates across the board – even for those not seeking chiropractic care.

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