YOU ARE INVITED
TO AN OREGON CALL November 18 at 4pm PST

Together Working to Protect Health Freedom
 and Pass Safe Harbor Practitioner Exemption Laws

National Health Freedom Action is lobbying and working to protect health freedom!

National Health Freedom Coalition is educating about health freedom!

In most states, many healing practitioners, such as herbalists, health coaches, homeopaths, traditional naturopaths, and energy workers, can be prosecuted, fined, and barred from practicing based on charges of practicing medicine or practicing another licensed health profession without a license.  That is because most states have laws (health care profession practice acts), which bar those who haven’t completed schooling requirements for licensed professions from “practicing”.  And the definition of what it means to “practice” includes doing things that are included in the broad scope of practice laws of a licensed profession, often including treating any illness, or even preventing it!  These laws put many complementary and alternative practitioners at great risk if they practice.  This discourages some practitioners from helping people with their health, or from letting people know about their services via a website.  The result?  Many consumers cannot access what they need for healing or may not even know that there are options that could help them.

NHFA and NHFC are working to change that.  NHFC educates citizens about health freedom rights, teaches citizens how to participate in the law-making process, and helps organize health freedom groups in states. NHFA lobbies and advocates, and is helping groups introduce and pass safe harbor practitioner exemption legislation.

“Safe harbor practitioner exemption laws” are not practitioner licensure laws.  Rather, these laws work to ensure consumer access to a broad domain of healers and practitioners who are not licensed but provide safe therapies.  They do this by giving practitioners exemption from charges of “practicing medicine” or practicing another licensed health care profession, without a license, provided they avoid prohibited acts such as using prescription drugs or puncture of the skin, and provide specific disclosures including their education and training.  Many practitioners of modalities where licensure has not been needed due to the low risk of harm from their therapies, are protected under these new laws, including herbalists, homeopaths, health coaches, nutrition coaches, traditional naturopaths, wellness consultants, and reiki, qi gong, and other types of energy healers, as well as numerous others.  

Safe harbor laws now exist in eleven states, including Minnesota, Rhode Island, California, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Idaho, Arizona (partial, only for homeopaths), Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Maine.  These laws are working very well, and the movement to pass them in other states is growing.

NHFC’s goal is to make sure you understand the barriers to health freedom, and the possibilities of workable solutions.  NHFA’s goal is nothing less than safe harbor legislation in every state.  NHFA is here to help you be successful in your state to secure this right.

Diane Miller, J.D. Director of Law and Public Policy
Anne Gillum, J.D. Staff Attorney
National Health Freedom Coalition /Action
nationalhealthfreedom.org and nationalhealthfreedomaction.org
Email: info.nhfa@nationalhealthfreedom.org
Phone: 507-663-9018