Insurance
Insurance
We apologize that the following insurance information is complicated. It is not our fault. There are many plans and each have different specific details of how they pay (or do not pay) for acupuncture.
We will bill those insurance plans that pay for our services but there are specific details that must be verified for each individual patient. You may call or e-mail our office and give us your insurance information (see below) and we will check with your insurance company to see if they cover our services.
You may wish to contact your insurance company first. If you do so, ask if you plan covers acupuncture, performed by a licensed acupuncturist. If they say there is no coverage for acupuncture that means we cannot bill your insurance. If they tell you there is coverage for acupuncture, our office will have to verify this before we can accept you as an insurance patient. Even if you find Matthew Bauer’s name in a booklet of your insurance company’s list of accepted providers, it does not always mean you are covered for our services.
Some insurance plans will pay for acupuncture but only for a limited number of treatments or only for certain specific medical conditions. Some will only pay when a medical doctor performs acupuncture (even though medical doctors receive no training in acupuncture). In other words, just because your insurance company says they cover acupuncture, it does not mean they will pay for our services in treating you. Even when we verify the coverage information, there are some instances when an insurance company ends up not paying us. For this reason, we need to have all our insurance patients sign an agreement acknowledging they will pay for services their insurance does not pay for.
Some insurance plans say they cover acupuncture when all they offer is a discount off the Acupuncturist’s fees. Most discount plans (also called Access plans) require the Acupuncturist to give 20-25% off their usual fees. This is a direct payment service – payment is made at the time of service at the discount rate. Discount plans also allow the Acupuncturist to charge for an initial consultation and if any additional services are provided.
In order for our office to verify your insurance coverage, we need the following information:
The name of your insurance company and the “Provider” phone number.
The patient’s name and date of birth.
Any policy or member numbers, patient I.D. numbers, etc.
