Whether you accept it, avoid it or live somewhere in between, insurance coverage has become a defining issue for our profession. Patients increasingly expect to use their benefits, practitioners want to be compensated fairly for their time and expertise, and the system itself remains – at best – fragmented. The encouraging news is that coverage has expanded in meaningful ways. The challenging news is that reimbursement, across the board, remains inadequate.
Kathleen Lumiere, DAOM, LAc
Dr. Kathleen Lumiere is co-president of the Seattle Institute of East Asian Medicine, and an adjunct faculty member at Bastyr University, NESA, and other schools. She is the founding editor of Convergent Points: An East-West Case Report Journal; and co-chairs Practice-Based Research, a Society for Acupuncture Research special-interest group.