Best Acupuncturists That Will Accept Medicare (2024)

Some health insurance policies are expanding to incorporate less traditional forms of medicines and therapies.

Adjunct and alternative treatments are less popular because they are not typically covered under insurance plans. If they are, there are usually strict stipulations that the insured must abide by.

For help finding holistic doctors who accept Medicare, check out, Best Holistic Doctors That Will Accept Medicare.

As of recently, acupuncture-for chronic low back pain has been accepted by Medicare Part B.

Find the best acupuncturists that accept Medicare for you and near you. Enter your ZIP code and get a free quote today.

How To Find Acupuncture Near Me That Takes Medicare

Acupuncture is the practice of applying tiny needles to specific areas in the body to relieve pain and restore energy flow.

To find the best acupuncturists near you that accept Medicare, there are multiple different websites you can use to access this information.

One of the most popular websites is ZocDoc.

With ZocDoc, you will enter information such as your condition, procedure, or doctor’s name. You will also enter your location, the date you’re interested in, and the type of insurance coverage you have.

Once these steps are completed, ZocDoc will configure a list of Acupuncturists near you that accepts Medicare.

Does Medicare Cover Acupuncture?

As of 2020, Medicare Part B will cover up to 12 acupuncture visits – within 90 days – for chronic low back pain. The medical community is organizing an effort to help people access non-opioid pain management.

Medicare Part B covers two different types of services: medically necessary services and preventive care services.

Medically necessary services include services that are needed to diagnose or treat a medical condition and meet accepted standards of medical practice.

Preventive care services prevent illnesses or detect illnesses at an early stage, when treatment is most likely to work best. Finding primary care doctors that accept Medicare is worth it to have your care covered.

Under Medicare Part B, things that are covered include clinical research, ambulance services, limited outpatient prescription drugs, mental health services, and durable medical equipment.

What is Chronic Low Back Pain?

Chronic low back pain is a pain in your lower back that has been consistent and persistent for at least 12 weeks.

This pain does not have any known causes and is not associated with surgery or pregnancy.

Doctor and Health Care Provider Necessary Accreditation

If you have chronic lower back pain and use Medicare Part B to cover acupuncture services, the doctor or health care provider that you see must have the necessary accreditation.

You must get acupuncture from a doctor or health care provider who has both:

1. A Master or Doctoral level degree in acupuncture or oriental medicine from a school accredited by the Accreditation Commission on Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine
2. A current, full, active, and unrestricted license to practice acupuncture in the state where care is being provided

When showing improvement while seeing an acupuncturist, an additional eight sessions can be covered by Medicare. No more than 20 sessions are allowed in a year’s time.

You can find out more about health costs with Medicare by reading our guide: What is the maximum out-of-pocket expense with Medicare?

Medicare Acupuncture Fee Schedule 2021

The 2021 Acupuncture Fee Schedule with Medicare is listed below.

Does Medicare Cover Other Alternative or Adjunct Medicine?

Does Medicare cover alternative medicine? Maybe you are not interested in your Medicare covering acupuncture treatment. Medicare does cover other alternative or adjunct medicines: massage therapy, chiropractic therapy, and physical therapy.

Learn more about chiropractors who accept Medicare here: Best Chiropractors That Will Accept Medicare

As times change, policies will change to support it. With Medicare beginning to cover alternative and adjunct medicines, then hopefully, more health insurance plans will take this on as well. 

Learn if an acupuncturist near you takes Medicare. Enter your ZIP code and get a free quote today.