3 Key Factors To Get Your Massage Covered through your Medical Insurance

Massage therapy could be the answer to reducing your muscle aches, arthritis, headaches or even fibromyalgia. In addition to your current physician-managed treatment plan, a licensed massage therapist can hold the key to your extended relief.

Many insurance companies are beginning to recognize massage therapy as an important alternative therapy to pain relief, as compared to pain medication, and one that can be added to a patient’s treatment protocol.

Although it will depend on your insurance provider and your insurance plan, here are 3 factors to move you closer to having your insurance provider cover your massage treatments:

1. Insurance Company Verification. Verify your insurance company would accept a written prescription for a therapeutic massage. Again, this will depend on your current plan. Your doctor would likely need to include a particular diagnosis with a corresponding diagnosis code. Ask about limitations on the number of visits you may be allowed and the length of time allowed for each visit. In addition, ask whether your massage therapist would have to be in-network with your current plan.

2. Doctor's Prescription. If a doctor's prescription is acceptable to gain coverage, call your doctor to see if they would write a prescription noting that massage therapy is a viable option for you to relieve your pain. If they agree, explain that a prescription for "muscle pain" vs. a specific muscle location, would allow your licensed therapist to adjust your treatment according to your specific needs. For example, you may have shoulder pain from sitting at a desk all day, but later you experience lower back pain from sitting in weird positions to compensate. The prescription for "muscle pain" instead of shoulder pain, would allow treatment to your lower back as well.

3. Prescription Details. If possible, see if your doctor would leave the frequency and number of visits necessary up to your licensed therapist. This will provide the therapist more flexibility to determine the number and length of the treatments needed for your individual therapeutic plan.