Matters
Covering CAM
by Amy Paturel, MS, MPH
CAM, or complementary and alternative
medicine, isn’t always covered by insurance.
Here are some ideas to cover the costs.
After Linda Adkins was diagnosed with MS in
1996, she began struggling with
her gait. She walked with a limp
and experienced numbness and
tingling in her feet. Adkins,
then 40, visited an alternative
medicine practitioner at her
own expense, started a nutrition
regimen and began taking a
laundry list of vitamins and
supplements. Her next stop: an
acupuncturist.
“I looked at my insurance
policy and discovered that
acupuncture was covered,” said
Adkins, of Baltimore. Her policy
covered 24 treatments, but after
about 12 visits, Adkins noticed
a difference. “Physically, I felt
healthier.”
Ten years later, Adkins
began limping again, slurring
her words and even blacking
out at work. “I thought
about what I did in 1996 and
realized I wanted to go back
to acupuncture,” she said.
OJO IMAGES/GLOW IMAGES
Her insurance plan covered
treatment—if she selected an
acupuncturist who was also a
medical doctor. She found a
practitioner 15 minutes from
her home and began treatments
again in 2011. Even better, the
acupuncturist files the claims
and Adkins doesn’t have any
copays. It took a little research,
but she found a way to make it
work.
What’s covered?
Adkins’ desire to seek out
complementary and alternative
medicine isn’t unique. Studies
show that Americans spend
an estimated $34 billion out
of pocket on CAM treatments
every year. “CAM is not an
area that is vastly covered by
insurance,” said Kris Erickson,
health insurance manager at
the Society. “So people
really have to dig into
their policies to see
what forms of treatment
are covered.”
CAM therapies
seen as outside the
mainstream, such as
Rolfing (a deep-tissue
massage aimed at
realigning the body
with gravity), hypnosis
and guided imagery, are
less likely to be covered
than acupuncture and
chiropractic care—for
the latter, coverage is
even mandated in some
states, such as New
York. Still, coverage for
even mainstream CAM
under most plans is
quite limited. People
typically pay on a fee-
for-service basis, which
limits the number of
treatment sessions.
“The key for anyone with
an expensive health condition
like MS is to be a very savvy
consumer,” said Kimberly
Calder, director of Federal Health
Affairs and Insurance Policy at
the Society. “You really need
to understand your policy well
enough to take full advantage of
the protection it offers.”
Another option people can
