Know risks with alternative therapies

Published: 2009-12-02 08:59:36
Author: PostCrescent.com | November 16, 2009

Alternative medical therapies, which more than one-third of Americans turn to for everything from back pain to depression, have been quickly moving more into the mainstream — and into private insurance plans.

After being lobbied for more choice, insurers and employers are covering alternative therapies in growing numbers. Some, such as Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, are introducing legislation to require or expand coverage as part of health care reform.

While it seems progressive to cover treatments that don't fall under the traditional medical purview, it also could pose a potential danger to consumers' pocketbooks or their health.

The idea that alternative medicine is covered by insurance may push people toward treatments that either don't make them well or have unknown risks. Herbal supplements touted to treat depression don't have the same health and regulatory oversight as say, Prozac.

Also, consumers need to understand what costs their plans will pay for. Insurers may cover a narrow range of services, such as some types of back pain, from a chiropractor. But if a chiropractor also offers treatments for asthma or ear infections, the patient may think he is covered for the other ailments, just because the provider is in his network, and he gets stuck with the bill.

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