News posted on February 08, 2009 06:22
More and more consumers are choosing alternative forms of
healthcare, with such options as Chiropractic, Acupuncture and
massage leading the way.
A survey done in 2004 measured the increase in popularity.
Thirty-six percent of U.S. adults now use some form of
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) services. With
this level of popularity, managed care providers are beginning to
follow the trend by providing more coverage for CAM services.
More than 60% of health plans now include CAM services as a
covered benefit or offer “affinity” programs in which members
receive discounts to CAM providers.
Employers are eager to utilize CAM services to keep their
workforce on the job after a study was released October 2004 in
the Archives of Internal Medicine that showed the benefits
possible. The study stated that when employees had Chiropractic
coverage, they had 41% fewer hospitalizations for back pain than
employees without Chiropractic coverage. And they had 32%
fewer back surgeries and significantly lower utilization rates for
CT/MRI scans and x-rays than other employees without this
coverage.
SOURCE: http://www.managedhealthcareexecutive.com/mhe/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=146114