Does Insurance Or Medicare Cover Chiropractic Care?

Curious about chiropractic? You’re probably wondering…

“Does Medicare cover chiropractic care? Do chiropractors take insurance?”

 

If you suffer from back pain, achy joints, sciatica, or another painful condition, you’re not alone. Chiropractors treat nearly 27 million patients a year. With the prevalence of joint-related issues, you might be asking yourself, “Does my insurance cover chiropractic treatment?”

But—as with most questions involving doctors and insurance plans—the answer isn’t always cut-and-dry.

Fortunately, there are many occasions when your insurance does offer coverage for chiropractic services. Let’s dig a little deeper to see when you may or may not be covered.

 

What is Chiropractic Care?

Chiropractic care aims to correct misalignments of the spine and other joints. During your visit, a chiropractor uses hands-on manipulation of the spine and other areas to realign bones, treat injuries, and alleviate pain. 

Some chiropractic offices combine this with medical massage, E-Stim, or other forms of therapy.

Chiropractic treatments are highly beneficial for car accident injuries, sports injuries, sciatica, carpal tunnel, and other painful conditions.

During your first visit, the chiropractor will give you a full examination and ask for details about how your injuries have impacted your life. They may also take an X-ray to help with their diagnosis. Your first consultation is useful in helping your doctor come up with a treatment plan.

 

How Much Does Chiropractic Care Cost?

The cost of chiropractic services varies but generally ranges from $40 to $100 per session. However, the cost will depend on the type of treatment.

An initial consultation may be free of charge, while subsequent spinal manipulations may cost around $50-60 each. More intensive treatments, like medical massage therapy, will add to the total cost of treatment.

If you’ve ever visited a chiropractor in the past, you may have been turned off by the number of times you “needed” to come back in order to keep your spine aligned and your pain at bay. Multiple visits a week over the course of a year adds up.

But many patients find that regular adjustments make enough of a difference to their quality of life that they don’t want to simply walk away and pursue other treatment methods. Wouldn’t it just be easier if their insurance plan could cover those chiropractor visits?

 

Will My Insurance Cover the Chiropractor Cost?

One of the first things you should do is to contact your health insurance company or visit their website to see if chiropractic care is covered by your policy. 

In many cases, your insurance will only cover certain providers. If you have a specific doctor in mind, it’s a good idea to check whether they are listed as an “in-network” provider.

Oviedo Chiropractic is currently in-network with the following plans:

• Auto Insurance Plans 
• American Specialty Health Networks
• Cigna
• Florida Blue
• Bright Health
• Humana
• PHCS/PHCS Savility
• United Healthcare
• Medicare
• Worker’s Compensation Insurance

Don’t see your insurance company listed here? If your injuries were caused by a car accident, you have another option available to you.

Under Florida law, all motorists must have $10,000 of Personal Injury Protection (PIP) on their auto insurance policy. As long as you seek medical attention within 14 days of your accident, your PIP benefits will cover the medical costs (and, in some cases, lost wages) that you incurred after a car accident. They also cover injuries to any passengers in the vehicle with you during the accident.

The good news? This refers to chiropractic treatment as well.

However, certain conditions must be met to qualify for the full amount under your policy. If your doctor diagnoses you with an Emergency Medical Condition, or EMC, you will be covered up to $10,000. Otherwise, you will have a $2,500 limit.

The 14 days following an accident can pass quickly, and there is a good chance you might have experienced a misalignment without even knowing it. This is why it is critical that you see a chiropractor as soon as possible after your accident.

 

Does Medicare Cover Chiropractic Care?

If you’re one of the 54 million people with Medicare, medically necessary adjustments may be covered. Whether or not Medicare will cover your chiropractic visits comes down to which plan you have.

Chiropractic treatment is only available under Medicare Part B, so if you have this supplemental coverage (or a Medicare Advantage plan), you can receive a spinal manipulation from any chiropractor.

You will be responsible for a 20% copay as well as your deductible.

It should be noted that Medicare coverage only applies to manipulations and does not include X-rays, acupuncture, medical massages, or any other form of therapy.

 

What If My Insurance Doesn’t Cover Chiropractic Costs?

If your insurance plan doesn’t cover the cost of a chiropractic adjustment (or the doctor you want to see isn’t in your network), you always have the option of self-paying for your visits.

Unlike other specialists, you do not need a referral to seek treatment from a chiropractor or medical massage therapist and office visits are usually extremely affordable.

One thing to look out for is any doctor who tries to see you multiple times a week for an indefinite amount of time. While some conditions may need more frequent visits than others, most people can be treated effectively with fewer visits. 

Most of our patients return every 3-4 weeks.

 

A Better Way

At Oviedo Chiropractic, we believe that no one should have to forego effective, natural treatments just because their health insurance plan doesn’t cover the cost.

In fact, many of our patients seek out chiropractic treatment because it is a cost-effective alternative to pain medications and/or surgery.

If your insurance doesn’t cover chiropractic care or if your copay or deductible is unfavorable, this doesn’t have to prevent you from receiving high-quality care. We offer competitive, affordable pricing for chiropractic adjustments, E-Stim treatments, and medical massage therapy, even for those patients who choose not to go through their health plans.

Please contact our Billing Department so they can discuss payment options with you.

Ready to feel the difference? Schedule your appointment online with one of our friendly doctors today!