Acupuncture Insurance Coverage and Billing Policies

Last updated: July 2026 – Reviewed and written by Toni Eatros, MS, DiplAc, AP

Insurance coverage for treatment here depends entirely on your insurance plan. The information below explains the billing procedure for the different plans.  Scroll down and refer to the table with the most common insurance plans for more specific information.

Quick Summary

The VA Community Care Program and United Healthcare are the only plans that I am a preferred provider. I am considered out of network for most insurance companies. 

I know this can be disappointing, but let me explain.  Many of the insurance companies are managed by ASH.  When I was a preferred provider for them, they were reimbursing me $47 per session and not allowing me to bill the remaining balance to the patient.  I was working harder, providing an hour acupuncture treatment, taking time to submit and process the claims for ony $47.  I had to make the hard decision to stop working with ASH or go out of business.  I chose the former.  I am always happy to provide you with a superbill that you can submit to your insurance company on your own and see if they will reimburse you for any of the treatment charges.  

Medicare does pay for 12 sessions of acupuncture per year for lower back pain, however, it has to be performed by a Medicare provider, which I am not.  The electronic clearinghouse rejects all claims submitted to Medicare by non Medicare providers, so I am unable to submit these claims on your behalf.

Insurance never pays for functional medicine appointments or the herbs or supplements that I recommend.

Insurance Company		In Network?		Acupuncture Coverage for Me?		Patient Pays At Time of Service?	Who Submits the Claim?
Aetna		No		Sometimes, this is plan dependent. Usually, a deductible must be met first.		Yes	My office will submit claims for patients not on Medicare supplemental plans.   For those with Aetna Medicare supplemental plans, you are responsible for submitting the bill.
BCBS of Florida		No		No		Yes	Patient submits claim, it will likely be denied.
BCBS Federal Plans		No		Sometimes		Yes	I will initially submit to see if they will cover my services.
BCBS other States		No		Sometimes		Yes	Patient submits claim.
Cigna (Collier County Employee Plan)		No		Sometimes after a very large out of network deductible.		Yes	I will submit the claim for you because it will count towards your out network deductible. Unless you have had surgery or have been very ill, you likely won’t meet this deductible.
Medicaid		No		No		Yes	Patient submits claim.
Medicare Part B		No		No, they only cover acupuncture for Medicare providers like medical doctors or nurse practitioners.		Yes	Patient submits claim.
Medicare Supplemental Plans		No		The majority of supplemental plans require a denial from Medicare Part B before they will process the claim.   Since I am not a Medicare provider, the claim gets completely rejected on the electronic clearinghouse, without processing. This means the supplemental insurance never receives the required Medicare Part B denial.		Yes	Patient submits claim.
The Empire Plan		Yes		The majority of the time.		You will only pay up front for the first couple of treatments until we find out what your insurance plan will pay.   If they cover the acupuncture, I will reimburse you the money you paid or you can use it as a credit for the treatment copays.   Moving forward, you will only be responsible for the deductible/copay amounts.	My office submits the claims.
United Healthcare		Yes		Usually. Not every single united plan has acupuncture coverage, but the majority do.		You will only pay up front for the first couple of treatments until we find out what your insurance plan will pay.   If they cover the acupuncture, I will reimburse you the money you paid or you can use it as a credit for the treatment copays.   Moving forward, you will only be responsible for the deductible/copay amounts.	My office submits the claims.
Veterans Community Care Provider – Optum		Yes		Yes, with the required preauthorization from Bay Pines. Contact your VA doctor and request acupuncture.   The VA will usually authorize a series of 12 treatments to use within 8 weeks. If there has been some progress, we can request another series of 8 treatments spread out over 12 weeks. Then, they will usually give another 8 sessions to use in 6 months.		No	My office submits the claims and handles all of the billing.

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I don’t have insurance, do you have any recommendations?

Last year I joined CrowdHealth, a Peer-to-Peer Health Care Funding program and I am so happy that I did.  CrowdHealth is not an insurance company, but a platform & community that empowers you with a crowdfunding tool and a wealth of resources to efficiently manage your health care costs.

Their business model is unique.  Unlike insurance, they do not profit from sickness, they actually promote your wellbeing.  

Last month I actually submitted a claim for myself for the first time and I am even happier with my choice to join this crowd funding program.  I will share my experience with you now.  

I have a plan that covers my son and myself.  Our base monthly payment for the both of us together is $120.96.  Then we help to fund someone else’s healthcare expenses up to a monthly maximum.  I just looked at my 2026 CrowdHealth fees and including the $120.96 monthly fee for us both the most I have paid was in March and it was $313.80.  The least expensive month this year was in January 2026 and my monthly cost (including the $120.96) was $252.04 for the two of us.

Included in the subscription is counseling with a Better Help Therapist.  The bills for this service are automatically submitted to the crowd for funding and paid for with no out of pocket costs on our end.  My son took advantage of this service for about six months.  It really is amazing,  he received weekly therapy sessions that were included in our $250-$300/ month payment.  Many of you know that therapy sessions can cost $250 each, even with insurance.  I feel like he was getting free therapy and it truly did help him.

I had some medical expenses in the spring of 2026 and actually used my plan for the first time.  I was having some nerve pain issues in my leg and had to see a physician at Physician’s Regional and a gynecologist.  Both said they thought it was a nerve issue and referred me to a neurologist.  I didn’t want to see a neurologist because the tools in their toolbox is pharmaceuticals and that is not the route I wanted to take.  I decided to go to a chiropractor to see if her treatment would help with the nerve pain and it did.  

I paid out of pocket for all of the providers and then uploaded a photo of the receipts into the crowdfunding app.  I was responsible for the first $500 of the medical bills for this “incident”.  Everything above the $500 was funded by the crowd and I was reimbursed.

Just a note.  They will not pay for routine, stay healthy chiropractic and acupuncture.  They will, however, pay for those services if they are deemed necessary for your particular health issue.  It is possible some of my acupuncture services could be funded.

You can sign up using this link and you will pay the $60 monthly advocacy fee per member, but your maximum crowdfunding request will be reduced to $39 for the first 3 months.  So for the first three months your out of pocket expense is only $99 for each member.  There are even better deals for families of four.

 

Step 1:  Subscribe for $60/Month

Join the CrowdHealth community with a $60 monthly subscription. This fee provides you access to a suite of health care tools and a dedicated team of Personal Care Advocates, ready to guide you through health care decisions and bill negotiations.

 

Step 2: Choose the Right Membership for You

 

Step 3: Help Other Members

 

Step 4: Receive Help from the Crowd

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Frequently asked Questions

Does Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida Cover acupuncture Treatment At Your Office?

No. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida does not cover my services under any circumstance.  You will need to pay out of pocket for my services.

Does Medicaid Cover Treatment?

No. Medicaid of Florida does not cover my services under any circumstance.  You will need to pay out of pocket for my services.

Does Medicare Cover Acupuncture?

Medicare covers acupuncture for lower back pain, but only when a Medicare-enrolled provider performs it. I completed the lengthy Medicare application process and learned that Medicare does not accept acupuncturists as providers, regardless of training. A four-year acupuncture education carries no weight in this system, while a brief summer training course does. If you want to use Medicare, you need a medical doctor, nurse practitioner, or other Medicare-enrolled provider to perform the acupuncture.

If you decide to you want acupuncture performed by someone who has extensive training, you will need to pay out of pocket.  You can call Medicare and ask if there is a way to submit the paid receipt directly to Medicare for reimbursement, yourself.  I am happy to provide you with a superbill to submit.

Do Medicare Supplement Plans Pay for Acupuncture?

Medicare Supplement plans create a similar obstacle. These plans typically require Medicare to process a claim first and forward the unpaid portion to the supplement plan. Since I am not a Medicare provider, any claim I submit gets rejected automatically, and the supplement plan never receives it for processing. If you want to use a Medicare Supplement plan, you need a Medicare-enrolled provider to perform the acupuncture.

That being said, some Medicare supplement plans will allow you to submit a superbill directly for reimbursement yourself.  I am happy to provide you with the needed documentation.

Am I a Preferred Provider for the VA Community Care Program?

Yes. If you are a veteran, ask your VA doctor for a referral to my office for acupuncture. Once your referral and treatment authorization arrive, you become eligible for acupuncture treatment with no out-of-pocket costs. Participating in this program is one way I give back to veterans. Thank you for your service.

Does Insurance Pay for functional medicine appointments?

No, insurance does not pay for functional medicine appointments.

Does insurance pay for herbs or nutritional supplements?

No, insurance does not pay for functional medicine or herbs.

How Does the Billing Process Actually Work?

For qualifying plans, I submit an electronic claim on your behalf but do not follow up with the insurance company afterward if they deny the claim for some reason. You pay out of pocket for your first few visits while your claim processes. Once I know whether your plan pays and what your deductible and copay amounts are, you receive a refund or a credit toward future copays.

For Medicare and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, I provide a superbill so you can submit the claim yourself, since claims from a non-Medicare provider are rejected by the electronic clearinghouse before they reach a human. The VA Community Care Program is the only plan that does not require upfront payment, once your authorization is in place.

What Should You Bring to Your First Visit?

I do not currently have the resources to call and verify your insurance coverage in advance. Instead, I provide a form with the right questions for you to ask when you call your insurance company yourself. The purpose of this form is to help you collect information about your insurance plan regarding acupuncture treatment.

If you have one of the insurance companies that I submit the claims for you, please bring your identification and insurance card for my records.