Research Memo: Loss of Subsidized Drug Coverage and Mortality Following Medicaid Disenrollment: Translating our Findings and Implications for Medicaid Policy
Presented to Congressional Committee Staff
Health Care Access & Coverage
Blog Post
Chart of the Day: Insurance Coverage for Acupuncture, 2010-2019
Utilization of Acupuncture Increased With Expanded Coverage
Opioid prescribing has fallen dramatically in recent years. The same cannot be said for chronic pain, which afflicts over 20 percent of adults in the U.S. Ensuring that people with pain have access to safe, effective, and affordable nonopioid pain management is critical.
The AHRQ recommends acupuncture for various pain conditions, including low back pain, neck pain, and fibromyalgia. Despite these recommendations, insurance coverage for acupuncture has been inconsistent historically. In a new study, we found that insurance coverage for acupuncturist visits is increasing nationally, which aligns with Medicare’s decision to cover acupuncture for low back pain. As expected, the utilization of acupuncture increased along with expanded coverage. However, we also found that half of spending on acupuncturist visits was paid out-of-pocket in 2019, making it cost-prohibitive relative to other forms of pain management.
To support people with pain amidst the drop-off in opioid prescribing, insurers should be encouraged to cover nonopioid, evidence-based pain management. More research is needed to understand why and how insurers reimburse acupuncture, how to incorporate it into a comprehensive pain management regimen, and whether it can benefit people with pain who previously relied on opioids.
The study, Trends in Insurance Coverage for Acupuncture, 2010-2019, was published in JAMA Network Open on January 12, 2022. Authors include Molly Candon, Arya Nielsen, and Jeffery A. Dusek.
Author
Molly Candon, PhD
Director, Associate Fellows Program, Leonard Davis Institute; Research Assistant Professor, Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine; Assistant Professor, Health Care Management, The Wharton School
More on Health Care Access & Coverage
Medicare’s New Drug Spending Cap Will Likely Help Few Seniors
Many With High Drug Costs Have Supplemental Coverage and Won’t Reach the $2,000 Out-of-Pocket Cap, a New LDI Study Finds
How State Medicaid Choices Eased Children’s Coverage Loss After COVID-19
New Research Shows That Continuous Eligibility and Streamlined CHIP Structures Helped Protect Kids During the “Unwinding”
Medicaid Cuts Will Imperil Many Sick Recipients
Those on Medicaid and Medicare Will Die at Higher Rates If They Lose Low-Cost Drug Coverage, New LDI Study Shows
Six Policy Actions to Help Medicare-Medicaid Enrollees Get Better Care
LDI Fellows Outline a Path Forward Based on Lessons From the Last Decade
Medicaid’s Low Pay for Doctors Makes it Hard For Patients to Find Care
Paying More For Primary Care Showed Dramatic Results, LDI Fellow Found
Research Memo: Medicaid’s Role in Health and the Health Care Landscape: Key Takeaways from LDI Researchers
Delivered to Staff of U.S. Senate Committee on Finance
Assessing the Likely Impact of Proposed Medicaid Cuts
A Penn LDI Virtual Seminar Analyzes What Program Elements Congress Might Kill