Health Insurance Articles
Alternative Medicine: What Is It And Is It Covered?
2009-12-11
We are all aware of the advances in medicine that have been made over the last couple of centuries. As a species, we have taken leaps and bounds towards the prevention and cure of a great many diseases and conditions. New therapies are becoming available to the public all the time, but not all of them have their roots in traditional medical science. These are known as alternative, or holistic, therapies. While a lot of them are not scientifically proven to work, there is an emphatic section of society that sings the praises of alternative medicine treatments. So, if a lot of these newer therapies are unproven, what kind of effect does this have on those that have health insurance? And does your health insurance coverage include alternative medicine? Let's find out.
The relationship between alternative medicine and health insurance is often a topic that often arises when people start to look into using these holistic therapies. The most frequent question asked in this scenario being "Am I covered?" Well, that all depends on your health insurance coverage. Some health insurance providers will automatically cover their customers for alternative therapies like acupuncture or traditional Chinese medicine. However, many health insurance companies do not. The best thing to do to determine if you're covered is to speak directly to your health insurance coverage provider and ask them directly what is included in your policy. In that case, you may well be able to add to your existing policy. Let's say you wanted to try out a brand new therapy that you've just been told about. So long as it is not unreasonably dangerous, your insurance company may very well allow you to add it to your policy.
If you are in the market to try a variety of different alternative and holistic therapies that are not covered, it may be worth looking for a new health insurance policy that focuses primarily on more holistic treatments. These are readily available in the health insurance industry. You simply need to find the right company to fit your needs. Try asking friends or colleagues if they have had any experience gaining cover for alternative medicines. If so, they may well be able to point you in the right direction to get cover for your chosen therapy.
There are a variety of questions you may want to ask your insurance company when requesting cover for alternative therapies. For example, you may want to ask if you will need a referral from your primary care provider for the treatment. And remember, it is always recommended that you gain as much information as possible about the therapy before talking to your insurers - it's better to be safe than sorry!
