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You may have heard the exciting news that Medicare now

covers acupuncture for the treatment of chronic lower back pain.

While this is true, there are still some major hurdles standing
between you, your Medicare coverage, and your Licensed Acupuncturist.

Here’s a brief explanation:

The ruling, as it stands, means that Licensed Acupuncturists
can deliver acupuncture services, but that the services can only be billed to
Medicare through another professional who is already recognized as a “Provider”
by Medicare, such as a Medical Doctor (MD). While Medicare recognizes Licensed
Acupuncturists - such as yours truly - as fully trained and qualified to
deliver acupuncture to patients, we (Licensed Acupuncturists) are not yet
recognized as “Providers” by Medicare. So in simple terms, unless you are
seeing a Licensed Acupuncturist who works in a large healthcare system where
services can be billed under the license of a Medical Doctor (such as the
Integrated Pain Healing Center at Parkland Health in Dallas, Texas, where I
helped to set up the acupuncture program), the services cannot, at this time,
be covered by Medicare.

As I am learning in my Doctoral program (I have one more
week in Healthcare Systems class) changes in healthcare happen incrementally in
this country, and the law that passed allowing Medicare to cover acupuncture
for chronic low back pain was only the first step in the long journey to ensure
that Medicare patients can actually get their acupuncture services covered.

However, there is good news on the horizon!

Earlier in 2023, a bipartisan bill was introduced into
Congress that would specifically achieve the goal of granting Licensed
Acupuncturists the status of Medicare Providers. If this bill passes, it would
mean that Licensed Acupuncturists in private practice (which, to be honest, is
most of us) would be able to become credentialed with Medicare and bill them
for acupuncture services. It would increase access to acupuncture treatments for
a large swath of older Americans. This bill is called the Acupuncture for Our
Seniors Act of 2023 (HR 3133).

You may be asking (I hope you are asking!), “What can I do
to help insure older Americans have access to acupuncture through Medicare?”
I’m so glad you asked! You can call or email your Congressperson today and ask
them to co-sponsor and support the Acupuncture for Our Seniors Act, which is HR
3133.

Don’t know who your Congressional representative is? You can
go to https://www.house.gov/ and look in
the upper right hand corner of the page; you’ll see “Find Your Representative”
and a text box in which to enter your zip code. You may need to enter your complete zip code
including the 4 digit add-on, for a total of 9 numbers. Once you find your
representative, their contact information will be displayed on the page. Please
let Congress know this issue is important to you, and tell them why. If all of
us work together, we can get this bill passed – and it’s as easy as sending an
email or making a phone call.

Here’s a sample script:

“Hello, my name is _______________ and I am your
constituent. I am calling/emailing to ask you to please co-sponsor and support
HR 3133, the Acupuncture for Our Seniors Act of 2023. If passed, this
legislation will allow American seniors greater access to non-opioid treatment for chronic pain through Medicare. Thank you.”

Thank you in advance for your help, on behalf of the
acupuncture community and older Americans! Let’s get this done!