I started going to acupuncture at the end of March to help recover from surgery and from the general sense of anxiety and pain I have felt ever since my medical problems erupted last year. I looked up my insurance carrier’s philosophy on acupuncture and found that my medical condition was not included in the list of conditions eligible to be reimbursed by this treatment. I went anyway. When you don’t feel well you’ll do just about anything to feel better. And I figured since modern medicine wasn’t solving my medical mysteries I’d turn to alternative therapies for help.
I spend $85 for each visit to the acupuncturist. This involves a 15 minute recap of my most recent symptoms, including what has gotten worse, what is getting better, etc, followed by 45 minutes of needles in the legs, chest, shoulder, back, arm and hand. Of course, the symptoms dictate the length of therapy and the number of needles inserted. Since March I have visited the acupuncturist twenty times. Just about once a week.
Some of my symptoms have greatly improved. Although I must admit that it’s difficult to know whether it’s a result of acupuncture or just the body’s ability to heal over a great length of time. I continue to go in the hopes that my treatments will ultimately provide me with a pain free future. This hope is slowly creeping away as the pain continues, but my hope pushes me forward nonetheless.
My acupuncturist provided me with detailed documentation of legislation about insurance carriers and acupuncture in the state of Maryland. In my state if acupuncture isn’t specifically excluded for a given condition than it is up to the medical carrier to determine whether or not to reimburse claims. I sent a very nice letter to my insurance carrier on October 1st, and received a check yesterday for $1275! They covered 75% of my claims!
Wow, that was really nice of your acupuncturist to point that out to you.. She gets paid either way but it’s nice to know she is looking out for your financial health as well as your physical well being. =)