If you have government insurance like Medicare, Medicaid or Tricare, you may wonder if the benefits cover chiropractic care. While many clinics accept private insurance, such as the types of programs your employer might offer, the rules for government-sponsored insurance can be quite different. However, you may be able to avoid paying completely out of pocket by keeping a few tips in mind as you set out to find a chiropractor.
1. Speak To Your General Practitioner
Before you make an appointment for chiropractic care, you may want to speak to your family doctor about what you might require if you want to charge the cost to your insurance. Some programs, such as Medicare, only cover treatment if a doctor deems it medically necessary. As such, you may need a referral from your main doctor before you can see a chiropractor and have the cost covered.
2. Find Discounts
Some chiropractors can offer free exams and discounts on treatments depending on the state in which they practice. Others cannot offer promotions, as state laws might be quite strict about offering you these promotions if you use Medicare or Medicaid. Because the restrictions vary so widely, you may want to check out a few local chiropractors’ websites to discover whether they have posted any disclaimers about the discounts they offer.
3. Obtain Your Medical Records
If you are a senior and use Medicare to pay for some or most of your medical expenses and have active back pain, you may want to obtain copies of your medical records to present to the program. Parts of Medicare cover spinal manipulation treatments, but in most cases, you must prove that your back pain has been examined and noted by your family doctor.
4. Learn Which Treatments Are Covered
One beneficial step you can take to find chiropractic treatment covered by government insurance is to review your program’s rules and regulations with a company representative. Learning details like whether spinal massages and tests, such as x-rays, are covered along with manipulations, may help you find a chiropractor more efficiently. It could also prevent any misunderstandings when the bill arrives, as you will already know what you must pay out of pocket. While decoding insurance program jargon may be time-consuming, it may be worth it to gain some insight.
While not all government-sponsored insurance programs cover chiropractic treatment, there are a few ways you may be able to discover some money-saving discounts. Reach out to a Chiropractor, like the chiropractors at Mid-atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic to make an appointment or for further assistance.