Do you take insurance?
People often ask me if I take insurance but the real question is does your insurance policy cover acupuncture. Here are some important questions that first need to be answered:
Does your insurance policy cover acupuncture?
If the answer is yes, you need to further investigate and here are some questions to ask your insurance company:
Does the policy cover acupuncture performed by licensed acupuncturists?
Weird question? Yes, I agree, but some insurance policies only cover acupuncture done by medical doctors. Ridiculous, but true.
Does the policy cover acupuncture for any condition, or just certain conditions? What about general wellness and prevention?
Can I get as many sessions as I need? How many sessions are covered per year?
Do I need a referral?
Do I need to reach my deductible first? What is my deductible? Is there an individual deductible and a family deductible? Will acupuncture count towards my deductible?
Does the acupuncturist need to be in network? If she is network, how much is covered? If she is not in network, how much is covered?
Is there a co-pay or co-insurance? What is the co-pay?
Now back to your first question: Do you take insurance?
If your insurance policy covers acupuncture by a licensed acupuncturist I can either bill your insurance or give you a receipt for you to get reimbursed by your insurance company. This depends on the insurance company and policy, and whether I am in network or not, as well as logistical preferences.
Call your insurance company and ask these questions. If your policy covers acupuncture, jot down the answers to the above questions and share the answers with me, along with your full name, date of birth, policy number and phone number on the back of the card. I will need to make a copy of your insurance card, so bring that in. I will follow-up with a call to your insurance company.
These insurance companies and others have been known to cover acupuncture – check individual policy
BCBS Fletcher Allen Employees in 2014
BCBS Federal Standard, and in 2014 Basic
BCBS City workers
BCBS (CBA Blue) Green Mountain Power, Burlington Electric
Cigna VT state employees
Cigna – depending on the plan – Some plans cover acupuncture for only certain indications, including nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, pain, and a few others.
United Health Care
UVM – depending on the plan