CAM Coverage

Body Talk

By Darren Buford

Originally published in Body Sense magazine, Spring/Summer 2006.

Employers continue to show acceptance of complementary and alternative medicine as companions to, or in lieu of, traditional, allopathic care. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research and Educational Trust, employers are providing insurance coverage for acupuncture, chiropractic, and massage in greater numbers. In fact, coverage for acupuncture jumped from 33 percent to 47 percent between 2002 and 2004, and the percentage for chiropractic jumped from 79 percent to 87 percent during that same time. While massage is still not covered by all insurance companies, some programs such as Aetna’s Natural Alternatives and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia offer discounts for bodywork.