Ohio is expanding Medicaid coverage for acupuncture. Last fall, it began approving payment for the non-drug pain treatment if it was provided by medical doctors. But thousands more practitioners will be included in the New Year.
Under the new rules, up to 30 acupuncture treatments a year by chiropractors can be covered.
Warren-area chiropractor Patrick Ensminger says the changes involving his profession arise from the opioid crisis, as national healthcare agencies advise a switch away from addictive drugs and toward non-pharmaceutical pain management.
“It has led to the recognition that acupuncture is largely provided by doctors of chiropractic in the state of Ohio,” Ensminger says. “So the Department of Medicaid was quite open to making this measure in effect Jan. 1, 2018.”
Ohio’s Department of Medicaid also approved certified acupuncturists for coverage in 2018.
