Beat the bean counters 5/22/2005 5:25 AM By: Ivanhoe Newswire
Americans spend up to $47 billon a year on complementary and alternative medicine. Up to $20 billion is paid out of pocket. Alternative therapies include acupuncture, massage, chiropractic care and herbal supplements.
They've been shown to help heal what ails you, so why are you still paying out of pocket for them? How to get your insurance to help pay.
Eleven years ago, Jim Zechman woke up nearly deaf in one ear. After months of expensive tests, doctors had no answers. Three years later, a Friend suggested a specialized massage therapist.
Zechman explained, "He worked on me for about an hour in that region, and it was all of a sudden like a burning sensation in my ear, and then I could actually hear drainage in the area and then,Thursday, November 04, 2004 9:38:15 PMmodern medicine could not.
"There's a much better way of going about treating patients, offering them solutions on a non-pharmaceutical, non-surgical basis."
Zechman started a group that encouraged Illinois' largest insurance company to let people choose holistic doctors or chiropractors as primary care providers. His company plans to roll the program out across the country.
He said, "We did this to prove up the theory that keeping people healthy is the least expensive way of providing care."
Until the idea catches on, Zechman has tips to get your insurance company to Cover These Therapies now.
First, read the fine print on your current policy. Many already cover some therapies. Also, talk to your employer.
"People don't realize this, but large employers are self-funded. The employer decides what benefits are offered and what benefits they're willing to pay for. It's not the insurer."
Next, consider choosing a chiropractor as your Primary Care Provider, or PCP. You can also choose a naturopath if you live in one of the 14 states that licenses them.
Many offer a range of therapies and getting them covered is easier if they're billed through a PCP.
Zechman's last tip -- open a health savings account. In 2003, the IRS started to allow reimbursement for over-the-counter meds, which could include supplements. By using these pre-tax dollars, you can cut out-of-pocket costs by one-third.
Zechman added, “We need to provide true health and wellness care, rather than just disease care in this country. It's time. The time is now. The future is now."
More than half of Americans use some form of alternative therapy. These tips could have a big impact on their pocketbooks.