National Business Association for Chiropractors
16476 Chesterfield Airport Road
Chesterfield, MO 63017

For more information about the National Business Association for Chiropractors, please call 1-800-992-8044 or send an email to nbac@egroupmanager.com.

Q. Why was the National Business Association for Chiropractors’ (NBAC) new program established?

A. Over the past several years, NCMIC has been approached by their policyholders requesting access to resources, information and products regarding the business and personal planning aspects of a D.C.'s practice.  As an insurance and financial services company with more than 36,000 malpractice policyholders, NCMIC was limited in the amount of information that it could legally provide as a licensed insurance company.  However, as NCMIC is always focused on taking care of its D.C.s, it felt compelled to help find a way to provide this type of information and resources.  As a result, NCMIC contracted with NBAC, and was responsible for providing the initial funding and resources to get the program started.

Q. What will be the primary benefit that NBAC will bring to its members?

A. NBAC will focus on two distinct areas. First, NBAC will provide information and resources that relate to the business needs a practitioner faces with running their practice. This will include, but not be limited to such topics as incorporation considerations, cash flow and its impact, the importance of business plans, sources of practice funding, staffing considerations, office space utilization, as well as many more. Second, NBAC will also focus on the personal planning needs that a chiropractor faces. This will include, but not be limited to such topics as managing debt, the importance of credit scores and retirement planning.

Q. How will the NBAC program be initially funded?

A. The initial funding for the NBAC program was provided by NCMIC with its commitment to pay for the first year of membership for their over 36,000 malpractice insurance policyholders. After that first year, individual members will be responsible for paying their individual annual dues. NBAC anticipates that these dues will be somewhere in the under $20 per year range.

Q. What are the requirements for membership in NBAC?

A. To qualify for membership in NBAC, an individual must be a licensed chiropractor and have active malpractice insurance in place. NCMIC will assist NBAC by reviewing the application confirming the existence of malpractice insurance. However, an individual need not have malpractice insurance with NCMIC in order to be a member of NBAC. As long as the licensed D.C. has a malpractice insurance policy in force, he or she will qualify for membership.

Q. What happens to my NBAC membership if my malpractice insurance policy with NCMIC lapses?

A. The two core requirements for membership in NBAC is the Doctor of Chiropractic must hold a license and they must have malpractice insurance in force. While NCMIC is paying for the first year of membership in NBAC for its malpractice policyholders, there is no requirement that an NBAC member have malpractice insurance with NCMIC. However, NBAC members must have a malpractice insurance policy in force. If coverage with NCMIC is lapsed, the individual D.C. would be required to obtain malpractice insurance from another carrier to remain a member of NBAC.

Q. How are NBAC and NCMIC connected?

A. The NBAC program provided an excellent means for NCMIC to be able to respond to the increasing needs of their policyholders regarding the lack of business information and personal planning resources available to chiropractors. NCMIC felt compelled to assist its malpractice insurance policyholders by helping to establish and initially fund the new NBAC program. However, NBAC is a stand-alone organization with no reporting or organizational ties to NCMIC.

Q. How will the ongoing relationship between NBAC and NCMIC work?

A. NBAC will be a stand-alone organization dedicated to serving D.C.s with information, resources and products focused on the business aspects and personal planning needs that chiropractors face with running their practice.  NCMIC Insurance Services (NCMIC's full service insurance agency) will act as an insurance broker for insurance-related products that NBAC decides to offer its membership.  Initially, a group long term disability product underwritten by Hartford Life and Accident Insurance Company will be made available to NBAC members.  As member interest and needs for other products increase, NBAC will work with NCMIC Insurance Services to potentially make other insurance products available.

Q. Will NCMIC have any involvement in the governance of NBAC?

A. NCMIC’s involvement with NBAC will be limited to helping to form the association’s new program as well as funding the first year of membership dues for its malpractice insurance policyholders. While NCMIC will have a relationship with NBAC through NCMIC Insurance Services to offer any insurance-related products that NBAC makes available to its members, NCMIC will not be involved in the governance of NBAC.

Q. How does NBAC compare to the other national and state chiropractic associations? Will NBAC have a negative effect on national or state associations?

A. The chiropractic profession already has several national and state chiropractic associations and organizations that support the profession with practice focus, regulatory tracking, lobbying, education, coding, Medicare, legislation, research and insurance reimbursement issues.  NBAC is intended to be a complement to these associations and organizations by providing the resources, information and products that relate solely to the business and personal planning needs that a practicing Doctor of Chiropractic faces with running his or her practice. NBAC’s focus will be to implement information, resources and programs that meet the current needs of D.C.s, as well as those that will impact their future financial development. Since it is truly designed to complement the national and state associations, NBAC will more than likely have a positive effect since it will not compete with these groups but rather will augment with services and products they may not be able to provide.

Q. Will NBAC be involved in any lobbying activities?

A. As NBAC was formed for the purpose of providing chiropractors with access to business information and personal planning resources, NBAC has no plans to be involved in lobbying activities. Moreover, NBAC was created for a different purpose and thus will not involve itself in any lobbying efforts focused on the practice of chiropractic, its regulatory environment, nor insurance or insurance reimbursement related to chiropractic.

Q. How will NBAC provide its members with information and access to resources?

A. There will be two primary ways that NBAC will support its members with business related information and access to personal and financial resource information.  The first will be through the website, www.nbac.com.  Over time, it is the goal of NBAC to make the website an interactive source for a wide variety of business information and planning resource needs.  In addition to the website, NBAC will also publish a periodic newsletter that will focus on select business topics. Many of the topics for the future will be selected as a result of membership feedback and interest.

Q. In addition to the business and personal planning resources and information, why did NBAC choose to offer additional benefits? Will any discounts be available for these benefits?

A. NBAC's goal is to keep the cost of membership nominal, while also providing members with benefits and discounts that are convenient and cost effective.  NBAC decided to offer a few benefits including discounted web services, auto rental discounts, magazine discounts and floral discounts as well as the availability of long term disability insurance as a convenience for members.  Discounts will vary by offering and can range from 20% to 85%. The long term disability insurance plan that is offered is a group insurance plan with attractive rates and benefits compared to an individual policy.

Q. NCMIC has indicated that it will pay for membership in NBAC for the first year.  How much will membership cost after that?

A. NCMIC has committed to paying for the first year of membership for their malpractice insurance policyholders.  NBAC's goal is to keep the membership dues nominal.  After the first year, we anticipate that membership will be extremely modest and affordable and will be somewhere in the under $20 per year range.

Q. Where will the administrative offices of NBAC be located? Will NBAC have any staff?

A. NBAC has contracted with the National Administration Company to handle the day-to-day administration of the association and its offerings. National Administration Company is an organization that specializes in providing administrative support capabilities to professional and trade associations. The administration of NBAC will be conducted out of National Administration Company’s headquarters located at:

National Business Association for Chiropractors
16476 Chesterfield Airport Road
Chesterfield, MO 63017
Phone: 800-992-8044

By contracting with National Administration Company, NBAC hopes to keep administrative costs and staff to a minimum. At present, National Administration Company will perform all of the administrative functions for NBAC. The Board of Directors will perform the remaining functions, with special emphasis placed on business information and resource planning, program benefits and membership program utilization review.

What happens to any product or insurance that I purchase through NBAC if I cancel my membership?

A. One of the advantages of membership is the ability to gain discounts and access to certain products and insurance. As long as membership in NBAC is retained, there is no impact on either discounts or access to those products and insurance. However, once membership in NBAC ceases, those discounts and access will no longer be available. For those individuals that purchased an insurance product offered through NBAC, they will not be able to take that product or that coverage with them. Coverage will cease when their membership terminates.

Q. Will NBAC membership dues be tax deductible as a personal or business expense?

A. At this point, membership dues for NBAC are not tax deductible as either a personal or business expense. Given the goal to keep membership fees somewhere in the under $20 range, NBAC does not anticipate pursuing filing with the IRS to obtain tax deduction status.