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11 States and Growing: Safe Harbor Laws Protecting and Expanding Access to Healers

Across the country, people are embracing a wide range of healers. They’re seeking out herbalists, homeopaths, traditional naturopaths, Reiki practitioners, energy workers, and hundreds of other complementary and alternative health practitioners. But in most states, these unlicensed but highly valuable practitioners face legal risk—charged with “practicing medicine without a license” for simply offering safe, non-invasive help.

That’s where Safe Harbor laws come in. These state-level laws create legal exemptions for unlicensed practitioners who avoid prohibited acts (such as puncturing the skin or prescribing drugs) and provide consumers with clear disclosures about who they are and what services they offer.

So far, 11 states—including Minnesota, Rhode Island, Maine, Colorado, California, and Oklahoma—have passed Safe Harbor laws. In these states residents enjoy greater access to traditional, holistic, and culturally important forms of care.

Will Massachusetts Be The Next State to Pass a Safe Harbor Law?

Massachusetts held a powerful hearing last week on its Safe Harbor Practitioner Exemption Bill H.2504 / S.1481 An Act providing for consumer access to and the right to practice complementary and alternative health care services. Practitioners and advocates showed up to support legal protections for the practitioners who serve their communities.

“We support H.2504 and S.1481 because they protect both consumers and practitioners. These services are widely used—49% of Americans use alternative care, spending $30 billion annually out of pocket.”
—Steven O’Connor, Staff Attorney, NHFC/NHFA

“Our organization (NHFA) has been working with local activists for over two decades to help bring what we call Safe Harbor protections to their states.
—Nate Gorman, NHFA Legislative & Policy Advisor

“In 2017 the National Institutes of Health estimated that approximately four in 10 people are using some form of alternative or complementary care for the 7 million people living in Massachusetts, that’s close to 3 million people. I am one of them. For over 40 years, I have chosen to use alternative medicine exclusively, because I have found that it works. This bill costs nothing for the state to implement and reduces healthcare costs by keeping people healthier longer. The more accessible holistic medicine is, the happier its residents and the state healthcare budget will be.”
—Carol Bedrosian, Board member of Health Freedom Action Massachusetts (HFAMA)

“An unlicensed practitioner gave me my life back… yet he and his colleagues work in fear of the practice boards. The medical lobby wants to own healing. Please fix this.”
—Clark Reddick, Practitioner and Board member of Health Freedom Action Massachusetts (HFAMA)

 “These natural practices in general are person centered, holistic, gentle and work with a person’s innate ability to heal.”
—Abby Beale, Nationally Certified Classical Homeopath

“These bills are not about creating loopholes or avoiding standards. On the contrary, they provide clear guidance, transparency and ethical boundaries for practitioners of complementary and alternative health services such as Reiki, meditation, breath work and sound therapy practices that are non-invasive, inherently low risk and deeply rooted in both tradition and modern healing science. What the safe harbor bill does not do is impose unnecessary licensure, bureaucratic oversight or burdensome fees on those of us working at the front lines of community wellness.”

—Anne Holland, Reiki Practitioner and Teacher

🎥 Watch all the Massachusetts Testimonies in support of hearing here:

What About Licensed doctors? NHFA has Model Expanded Practice Act for Licensed Professionals

Safe Harbor laws protect unlicensed practitioners—but what about licensed doctors, nurses, and therapists who want to offer complementary or alternative methods?

That’s why NHFA has also developed a Model Expanded Health Care Practice Act, designed to protect licensed professionals who go beyond the conventional standard of care. This legislation allows for use of complementary and alternative therapies as long as they:

  • Do not pose greater risk than conventional treatments

  • Are provided with reasonable skill and safety

  • Are accompanied by expanded disclosures and patient consent

We’ve seen progress on this front—We congratulate Utah for passing a law in 2023 that allows doctors to go outside of the best practices under certain conditions, and now more states are stepping forward. Learn about the Model Expanded Practice Act for Licensed Professionals.

If you’d like to bring either Safe Harbor Practitioner Exemption Bill for Complementary and Alternative Health Care or Expanded Practice Act for Licensed Professionals legislation to your state, we’re here to help. Contact info.nhfa@nationalhealthfreedom.org. One of our staff attorneys we reach out to you to set up an exploratory conversation.

Let’s protect the healers—and the freedom to choose them.

In health and freedom,

National Health Freedom Action & Coalition Teams
www.nationalhealthfreedomaction.org
www.nationalhealthfreedom.org

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