Does Medicare Cover Holistic Medicine?
Although Original Medicare (Medicare Part A and Part B) does not cover holistic medicine, Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans may cover other treatments, therapies and medicines that Original Medicare doesn't cover.
What is osteopathic medicine?
Osteopathic medicine is a medical approach that focuses on the working relation of all systems of the body during healing. Medicare Part B provides some coverage for osteopathic medicine that is provided by a physician licensed as a doctor of osteopathic medicine (D.O.).
Medicare may also cover certain chiropractic services when determined to be medically necessary. Medical nutrition therapy is also covered by Medicare, but only for people with diabetes, kidney disease or recipients of kidney transplants.
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What is holistic medicine?
Holistic medicine is an approach to healing that addresses the whole person — mind, body and spirit. It is an alternative to the more conventional methods of healing that we have come to know in this day of modern Western medicine.
Holistic or “alternative” medicine has been growing in popularity in recent years, but Original Medicare does not provide coverage for this type of treatment.
Medicare Advantage plans can offer other benefits
Medicare Advantage plans (Medicare Part C) are required cover everything that Part A and Part B do (except hospice care, which you still receive from Medicare Part A). Medicare Advantage plans can also offer other benefits not covered by Original Medicare.
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About the author
Christian Worstell is a senior Medicare and health insurance writer with MedicareAdvantage.com. He is also a licensed health insurance agent. Christian is well-known in the insurance industry for the thousands of educational articles he’s written, helping Americans better understand their health insurance and Medicare coverage.
Christian’s work as a Medicare expert has appeared in several top-tier and trade news outlets including Forbes, MarketWatch, WebMD and Yahoo! Finance.
Christian has written hundreds of articles for MedicareAvantage.com that teach Medicare beneficiaries the best practices for navigating Medicare. His articles are read by thousands of older Americans each month. By better understanding their health care coverage, readers may hopefully learn how to limit their out-of-pocket Medicare spending and access quality medical care.
Christian’s passion for his role stems from his desire to make a difference in the senior community. He strongly believes that the more beneficiaries know about their Medicare coverage, the better their overall health and wellness is as a result.
A current resident of Raleigh, Christian is a graduate of Shippensburg University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
If you’re a member of the media looking to connect with Christian, please don’t hesitate to email our public relations team at Mike@tzhealthmedia.com.
