Medicare and Acupuncture..

A current TCM trend that is exciting to both TCM practitioners and prospective patients is the inclusion of full inclusion of Acupuncture in Medicare. Right now, Medicare patients can seek Acupuncture. However, the Acupuncturist must be under the supervision of a Western clinician. Thus, the Medicare patient cannot seek an Acupuncturist directly. I must note that Medicare currently only covers Acupuncture for specific pains, such as lower back pain.

However, there is some exciting news to report on this end. Certain legislators in the US house of representatives and Senate are introducing legislation that will allow Medicare beneficiaries to seek Acupuncture treatment directly from the Acupuncturist, without getting approval from a Western clinician. Though the bill only covers Acupuncture for certain pains, it is a trend that is not only exciting but potentially groundbreaking for both Medicare patients and TCM practitioners.

For Acupuncturists, the potential market for treating insured patients has increased tremendously. The reader must appreciate that the collective goal of TCM in the US is to get more integrated in the Wester Healthcare system. Obviously, bring covered by insurance and government insurance, like Medicare, is huge in fulfilling this desire.

For the Medicare beneficiaries, the ability to choose a treatment modality that has been proven to be effective in treating pain, without the side effects associated with Western drugs and surgery, is exciting. I cannot tell you how many people on Medicare tell me that they want to see me for pain but cannot due to me not being covered by Medicare. These patients would be able to, if this bill passes.

I write this blog not just to educate you but to heighten your awareness. If you are on Medicare and want to be able to get Acupuncture treatment, directly, you must take this information and tell/educate your House Representative/Senator about having Acupuncture included as a modality in Medicare. We do have some power in forcing positive change.