Health Insurance Coverage for Chiropractors
Chiropractic care services are covered under many types of insurance plans. If you are on Medicare or Medicaid then your insurance plan will cover some or all of your chiropractor stpete care. Most insurance companies require at least the initial visit for a physical, and an x-ray to confirm any structural problems. But there are often additional services that are covered when you go in for regular medical checkups. One popular type of insurance plan is the Preferred Provider Organization (PPO).
The first major type of coverage covered by the original Medicare part A (Medigap) plan (Medigap Part D) is the manual adjustment of the spine. If it's medically required for an existing condition, the only chiropractic care covered under Medicare Part A is a manual adjustment of the back, shoulder and neck. Certain Medicare Part C plans may also cover manual adjustment and may also cover other chiropractic treatments. However, these programs usually only cover chiropractors who work in health maintenance organizations, or HMOs.
Other Medicare Part B plans, such as Medicare Part D, will cover chiropractors who participate in Medicare Part B inpatient services, but not outpatient chiropractic care. Other Medicare Part C plans include Parts C (Medigap) and Part D (HMO), which cover health maintenance organizations, Medicare Advantage Plans (Part D), managed care plans (Part D plus Medicare Supplement Insurance), and supplemental insurance plans (Part D plus Medicare Supplement Insurance and Part C).
Many health insurance plans also cover chiropractor stpete care services. Plans such as HMOs, Medicare Advantage Plans, Part D, Medicare Supplement Insurance, and Medicare Supplement Insurance are preferred provider organizations (PPOs), which allows the doctor to set their own fee schedule, rather than having to adhere to the fees that are determined by their health insurance company. These PPOs are designed to provide the most efficient, convenient care possible for patients.
Many health insurance plans, including Medicare, do not cover the costs of chiropractors who provide services outside of a specific network. {of physicians. Health Maintenance Organizations or HMOs are usually the only health plans that provide coverage for chiropractors who work outside their network, although PPOs and Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs) can be purchased separately from these health insurance plans.
The health insurance providers are regulated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Federal Trade Commission, but the policies may vary from state to state. Also, because chiropractors cannot treat patients of all races, you need to check with your local State Health department to be sure the plans that you are considering will cover you. For example, the states that allow chiropractors to treat all patients regardless of race, income, and age are the most likely to have these plans. You can get more enlightened on this topic by reading here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiropractic.
