Health Insurance For Alternative Healing

Many health insurance companies are beginning to cover natural healing treatments that not too long ago would never have been considered a covered expense under any type of health insurance plan. Recent surveys are suggesting that health insurance companies are offering more and more health plans that offer coverage for massage therapy, chiropractic work, accupuncture and other natural healing treatments. So what all exactly does your health insurance plan cover in the way of natural healing? If you are shopping for a new health insurance plan then what kinds of things should you be on the lookout for? What questions should you ask your insurance company or insurance agent?

The three most commonly covered natural healing treatments are massage therapy, accupuncture, and chiropractic care. If you are curious about whether a treatment other than these three are covered then be sure and check with your insurance company for the details. (HINT: If you are shopping for plans or are debating switching health insurance plans then why not give your practitioner's office a call and see if they have any recommendations for health insurance plans that 1) They accept and 2) Covers your type of alternative treatment).

You may also want to call the state or national association of the particular natural healing treatment that you are seeking coverage for. These associations often keep track of which insurance companies and plans will reimburse their members and cover their member's services. (For example, if you want to see a chiropractor in Minnesota and do not have a specific chirporactor's office that you can call for assistance in medical plan coverage then try to find some type of chiropractors association of MN or even a national association of chiropractors).

 

A few quick phone calls could save you a lot of hassle down the road.(Just be sure and know that health insurance plans can differ quite a bit from state to state so a California health insurance plan may be totally different from a Texas health insurance plan. You will want to become familiar with plans in your state of residence and the things that will and will not be considered a covered expense)

The downside to many health insurance plans that offer natural healing coverage is that the natural healing benefits are often severely limited. Many plans will only cover treatments up to a very low annual dollar amount or they will set a very low limit on the number of visits that will be considered a covered expense. This is perfectly fine if you only plan on seeing your practitioner a couple times a year but for those with a more time intensive regimen it can prove to be quite a bit more cost prohibitive.

Ok, so you have narrowed down your health insurance choices to a few plans that cover some form of natural healing to one degree or another. Here are some questions that you should ask the health insurance company or agent/broker:

Do I need a referral or any type of pre-authorization before I go to see my
practitioner?

How many visits will be covered?

Is there a cap on the maximum benefit that will be paid out?

Do I have any form of copay that must be paid or am I responsible for a deductible or coinsurance amount that I must pay out of pocket?

If there are any additional costs for lab fees, tests, dietary supplements,
equipment, supplies, etc. will they be covered?

Be sure thoroughly investigate the health insurance plans that are available to you in your state and don't be afraid to ask questions of what the plan does and does not cover in the way of natural healing treatments. To learn more about natural healing just search alphabetically through all of the different types of healing.