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California acupuncture groups split over proposed doctoral requirement and oppose dry‑needling expansion
Summary
Stakeholders at the March 26 California Acupuncture Board meeting clashed over AB 2668 (proposal to raise minimum licensure education to a doctoral entry at 3,300 hours) and rallied against AB 2497, a bill to expand physical therapists’ authority for dry needling; presenters and hundreds of public commenters presented competing views on safety, cost and workforce effects.
A coalition of California acupuncture associations told the California Acupuncture Board on March 26 that the profession is divided over multiple bills now in Sacramento: sponsor groups pushed to raise licensure minimums and secure Medi‑Cal coverage, while other schools, students and accreditors warned that raising hours now could push programs and students into untenable financial positions.
Ryan McCarthy, a registered lobbyist speaking for the California Acupuncture Coalition (CAC), outlined CAC’s 2026 agenda: SB 944 (Sen. Scott Wiener) would remove a phrase that conditions Medi‑Cal acupuncture reimbursement on matching federal funds; AB 1949 (Asm. Alex Lee) would lift a twice‑monthly in‑person cap while keeping a 24‑visit annual limit; and AB 2668 (Asm. Fong) would raise California’s minimum licensure requirement to a Doctor of Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (DAcCHM) at 3,300 hours with a 2032 effective…
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