Article

INSURANCE: AMTA & the "other guys"

By Cliff Korn, AMTA-NH Webmaster

I recently received an email from a member asking if I had seen an advertisement from Massage Magazine about their new Massage Magazine Insurance Plus product. It appeared to offer many benefits at a reasonable cost. After reviewing the ad I thought I ought to get an actual comparison of AMTA's insurance offerings and those announced by Massage Magazine so I contacted AMTA's Director of Marketing, David French. Among Dave's many responsibilities is the oversight of member benefits. He got back to me quickly and thanked me for giving him an opportunity to educate members about the differences between AMTA and other organizations. While lengthy, his response to me provided such timely and important information that I decided to share almost all of it with you.

From what Massage Magazine states on their website, there are several clear differences between the AMTA professional and general liability insurance and the Massage Magazine policy.  I will explain some of the details of the differences below, but before I do that, I want to clarify the major difference between AMTA and Massage Magazine. 

For any AMTA member or potential member that asks, we would want them to know that AMTA is not an insurance company, we are a professional association and insurance is one of the many benefits of membership.  When other groups say their insurance is cheaper, that is a misrepresentation, because we are so much more than insurance. The next five paragraphs explain some of the work AMTA does that other groups that provide insurance may not do.  After that I will get into some of the difference in insurance.  Please feel free to provide this information to anyone who asks about AMTA and other groups.  

 AMTA Organizational Differences

With AMTA, members get the strongest benefits in the profession.  This not only includes professional and general liability insurance, but also things like discounts on products and services therapists need for their business, free online job and resumes posting, our magazine, optional health insurance plans, a free website, and our locator service that has over 700,000 consumers searching for a therapist each year.  AMTA also provides a wide variety of opportunities for massage therapy continuing education.  From classes locally through our chapters, online and at the Annual Convention, no other organization provides anything close to the total number of educational opportunities.    We are constantly looking for new programs, products or services to improve the member experience.

 As you know, AMTA also works to push massage therapy to the forefront.  AMTA has been instrumental in getting regulation in 43 states, and our staff and volunteers work hard to fight the battles on behalf of our members and the profession.  AMTA educates consumers about the benefits of massage through National Massage Therapy Awareness Week (NMTAW), and we are the primary donor to the Massage Therapy Foundation, because we believe research is central to establishing massage as the healing profession we already know it to be.

 AMTA is run by massage therapists for massage therapists.  We are founded and governed by massage therapists.  Members have a voice in the association, and they can help set the direction of the association and the profession.  Also, since we are a non-profit, our dues are used to create member benefits and to advance the profession, not towards a corporate profit or profit for a few owners.

 AMTA believes in networking and community.  Through our chapters, members get face-to-face interaction with fellow therapists.  AMTA provides social networking sites for therapists to connect online.  AMTA also has national and regional meetings where members can connect face-to-face with other therapists.  Our chapters are one of the things that no other