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Californians are generally known as the sort of people who would typically seek out alternative treatments such as massage therapy, acupuncture, and chiropractic care. Although some of these therapies can offer bona fide results there are many instances where the cost of the therapies isn’t covered by health insurance. There are people who would argue that since these alternative therapies do indeed offer relief in some cases and can be considered as preventative care in other instance then insurance should cover them just like they would a trip to the family doctor. Some insurance companies do consider some alternative therapies valuable and therefore offer some coverage for them, but in the majority of cases these sorts of things must be paid for out of pocket.

The best way to find out if alternative therapies are covered under a health insurance plan is to contact the insurance provider directly. In some cases they will offer a certain number of visits to something like a chiropractor or licensed massage therapist, but it is of vital importance to make sure the health insurance company grants authorization prior to proceeding with the treatment. Get it in writing too…it would be a shame to go through a series of treatments to only find later on that the health insurance company has no record of authorizing the treatment. If the authorization was not notated and sent to the insured person for future reference then when the bill comes it will be the sole responsibility of the insured.

Sometimes a health insurance company will authorize alternative therapy only if it has been recommended by the insured’s primary care physician. There are many instances where an alternative therapy might be recommended. For example, a person experiencing painful muscle spasms in the lower back area would probably benefit more from deep tissue massage therapy instead of simply going on muscle relaxants for an indefinite amount of time. Not all doctors feel comfortable referring their patients to alternative therapy providers and some patients are too timid to ask in the first place. A person who feels that they would greatly benefit from a form of alternative therapy should bring it up with their doctor. If the doctor agrees that there is some benefit to alternative therapy and gives a referral there is a much better chance that it will be covered by health insurance

Health insurance coverage for alternative therapies does not give carte blanche for people to try out every new and bizarre treatment trend. The health insurance companies who do offer coverage or compensation for alternative treatments do not necessarily allow for every available alternative treatment there is. Don’t expect a health insurance provider to jump at the chance to pay for a visit to an aromatherapist. Although many alternative therapies have been proven to be useful there are other alternative therapies which are simply trends and do not necessarily treat or prevent any sort of ailments. It’s no wonder insurance providers are apprehensive about including alternative therapies into their coverage.

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