Does my insurance cover alternative care methods?
• BY LINDA DUGAN, HEALTH INSURANCE AGENT
uring this last health insurance open
enrollment, I was continually asked
about alternative care.
Many of the health insurance plans
include alternative care benefits. If you
have alternative care coverage, your member
materials will indicate plan coverage and benefits.
These benefits are usually limited to a number of
visits a year or an annual dollar amount. Some
plans may allow your naturopath to be billed as
your primary care physician.
An alternative care provider is a naturopath,
chiropractor, acupuncturist or massage therapist
who is professionally licensed by the appropriate
governmental agency to diagnose or treat an injury
or illness, and who provides services within the
scope of that license.
What is a naturopath? The Oregon Association
of Naturopathic Physicians helped me with this
question.
Naturopathic doctors (NDs) are an excellent
choice for your primary care physician. They are
trained in both natural and conventional medicine
and have a comprehensive scope of practice.
Naturopathic medicine is a distinct method of
primary health care that combines centuries-old
natural, common-sense therapies with current
advances in biomedical and diagnostic sciences
covering all aspects of health, from prenatal to
geriatric care.
Naturopathic doctors are guided by principals
that are based on the premise that healing is
intrinsic to the nature of living organisms. The
principles:
• Emphasize prevention and self-care as a
cornerstone of health;
• Focus on patient-centered care, addressing the
determinants of health in treatment plans;
• Prioritize a "therapeutic order” that begins
with minimal intervention and proceeds to higher
intervention; and
• Address the underlying cause of the condition
rather than focus solely on symptomatic treatment.
What is a chiropractor? The National Institutes
of Health answered this question for me.
Chiropractic is a health care profession that
focuses on the relationship between the body's
structure — mainly the spine — and its
functioning. Although practitioners may use a
variety of treatment approaches, they primarily
perform adjustments (manipulations) to the spine
or other parts of the body with the goal of
correcting alignment problems, alleviating pain,
improving function and supporting the body's
natural ability to heal itself.
What is an acupuncture? WebMD answered
this question.
D
30 • GOOD HEALTH 2016
Acupuncture is a form of Chinese medicine
that has been practiced for centuries. It's based on
the theory that energy, called chi (say "chee"),
flows through and around your body along
pathways called meridians.
Acupuncturists believe that illness occurs when