It’s no secret that medical care can be expensive. Treatments, surgeries, rehab and medication can all be a challenge for many budgets. Even with medical insurance, these costs can be difficult to bear, though the coverage does provide some relief. When it comes to seeking chiropractic care, some people may hesitate to start a treatment plan because of financial worries. The good news is, many insurance plans will include chiropractor visits and procedures in the coverage.
What the Chiropractor Does
Before you start looking into the insurance aspect of your chiropractic visits, it’s helpful to understand the role this doctor can play in your health. You’ve probably heard a lot about what a chiropractor does or doesn’t do. First and foremost, this professional is concerned about managing your pain and relieving the suffering you feel in your joints. It is common for adults and the elderly to experience back pain. This can come from wear and tear on the body over the years. These feelings of irritation and discomfort also result from injuries and accidents. The chiropractor helps the body heal itself by moving joints back into their rightful places. The doctor manipulates these joints, especially the spine, and aligns them properly. He or she will do this through a process called an adjustment. The chiropractor will place his or her hands on the patient’s affected area. Using sudden, controlled force, the doctor moves the joint, thus relieving pressure and pain.
Areas of Focus
A big advantage of coming to see the chiropractor is that this doctor can address a wide range of health issues. People often make appointments to find solutions to debilitating headaches or migraines. Some patients come in complaining about whiplash following a car accident. These professionals specialize in treating back and shoulder pain, but your chiropractor can also help you if you have pain in your arms, legs, hands or feet, too. The adjustments can increase mobility and even improve the patient’s posture.
Insurance Coverage
Verify with your medical insurance ahead of time whether your carrier will cover chiropractic treatments. Most plans that do cover this work will pay for a certain percentage or dollar amount of a specific number of visits per year. If you are seeing the chiropractor because of injuries you sustained in a car accident, your auto insurance and/or the other driver’s auto insurance should cover the treatment.
Always make sure you understand how your insurance coverage works with chiropractic care. Your chiropractor will work closely with the insurance company to make sure everything is processed correctly.