Miramant bill would establish right to practice complementary and alternative health care

Thu, 04/11/2019 - 3:15pm

    AUGUSTA — Sen. Dave Miramant, D-Camden, introduced a bill on April 11 to license practitioners of complementary and alternative health care in Maine. The bill, LD 364, “An Act To Establish the Right To Practice Complementary and Alternative Health Care Act,” received a public hearing before the Legislature’s Health Care, Insurance and Financial Services Committee.

    “Since modalities of healing such as Homeopathy and Reiki are so popular and ubiquitous, many people assume that their certified practitioners are approved by the state, yet technically, practicing medicine without a license is illegal,” said Sen. Miramant. “It is time to recognize widely used practices provided by competent, professional healthcare practitioners, and to provide these practitioners with the support they deserve!”

    Sen. Miramant’s bill requires practitioners to not only practice the highest ideals of their profession, but also make themselves available to the public with their contact information and location. It does not allow them to practice any type of allopathic treatment including prescribing pharmaceuticals, surgery, puncturing the skin, or harmfully invading the body. As long as they practiced according to the training and best practices of their profession, the practitioners covered under this bill would not be practicing medicine without a license. This bill does not prevent any person from seeking relief for negligence or other civil remedy.