Medicare To Cover Acupuncture For Chronic Low Back Pain

CMS will cover acupuncture for chronic low back pain as part of its efforts to increase access to alternatives to prescription opioids, the agency announced Tuesday (Jan. 21) . Prior to Tuesday’s announcement, acupuncture was not nationally covered by Medicare, though CMS previously encouraged Medicare Advantage plans to cover acupuncture as a supplemental benefit , among others, in order to offer more non-opioid treatment options. CMS in July had also proposed to cover acupuncture for those with chronic low back...