Original Medicare (Parts A & B): Acupuncture

Medicare covers up to 12 acupuncture visits in 90 days for chronic low back pain defined as:

• Lasting 12 weeks or longer

• Not having an identifiable cause (cancer that has spread, or an infectious or inflammatory disease)

• Pain that isn't associated with surgery or pregnancy

Medicare covers an additional 8 sessions if your loved one shows improvement. If they do not show improvement, Medicare won't cover additional treatments. Your loved one can, therefore, get up to a maximum of 20 acupuncture treatments in a 12-month period.

Note that not all providers can deliver acupuncture, and Medicare does not cover acupuncture, including dry needling, for any condition other than chronic low back pain.

Chronic back pain originates from a previous injury, long-term repetitive motion or stress, and medical conditions of the spine or chest.  While back pain is commonly manageable with some combination of surgery, medications, physical therapy, and home exercise, many people cannot endure surgery or tolerate medications, and even those who can, they may still need additional help getting that pain under control.  Many people who have chronic back pain, especially low back pain, have found acupuncture to be helpful when other treatments aren’t achieving the desired level of pain relief.

Acupuncture is an alternative or adjunct therapy in the treatment of chronic pain.  It has been used in Chinese medicine for 2,500 years.  Acupuncture involves inserting very thin, wirelike needles into the skin at various depths at strategic points on the body.  Once inserted, the needles can be manipulated by hand or with small electrical currents (electroacupuncture) by the acupuncturist.

While the research on acupuncture is growing, proper scientific evidence on its effectiveness remains weak, though many scientists and medical professionals support it and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health reports that an analysis of data from 20 studies (over 6,000 participants) reported that the beneficial effects of acupuncture continued for a year after the end of treatment (except for neck pain).

While acupuncture does involve inserting these wirelike needles into the skin, there is typically no bleeding or bruising, though if there is - it is minimal.

Chronic back pain often does not resolve completely and that should not be the goal.  The goal is to manage it to a point where the individual can function well and do the things they want to do with tolerable pain.  To illustrate, people tend to find that a pain level of 3–4/10 does not limit their abilities or enjoyment.