Will My Medical Insurance Cover Chiropractic Care?

“I am thinking about seeing a chiropractor. Oh, but chiropractic is not covered by health care insurance, right?” Wrong! I get this question all the time. When someone is making the decision to select chiropractic to take care of their health issue, they have to go through several decision processes. First, will chiropractic help my problem? Usually, they are dealing with pain and aren’t getting much help from other methods they’ve tried to resolve it. They may have tried over-the-counter pain medications, maybe even some stronger versions prescribed by their doctor. They may have purchased a brace or support, changed their bed, or just tried to rest for awhile. Nothing’s working. Next they consider the location of the chiropractor. Are they close? Can I get to the office during their office hours? If this all fits, the person will eventually start to realize their is a cost involved and will start considering whether or not their insurance will cover all or at least part of the cost of going to see a chiropractor. Does insurance cover chiropractic? In most cases, it does. There is not going to be “unlimited treatment for an unlimited time,” but there will be some coverage. The majority insurance will place two kinds of limitations on coverage; either they will limit the total dollar amount they will pay, or they will limit the total number of times you can visit the chiropractor in a given year. Will the amount of insurance coverage be enough for all of your treatment? It really depends on what’s wrong. The majority health care insurance is not set up to handle “wellness care,” that is, treatment when you are already feeling pretty good. Medical Insurance is generally there to help in time of crisis. You have a heart attack, you’ve been involved in an automobile accident, or you back is so painful you cannot get to work. That is a crisis. The best way to find out if your insurance covers chiropractic and to find out what limitations are present, is to contact the office you want to go see. Many offices will verify your insurance benefits before you even go into the office. This way, you will know what you are in for before you set foot in the door. Choosing your chiropractor only by your out-of-pocket expense is not generally the best way to find a medical provider (or any service for that matter), but it is helpful to get as much information as possible.