Medicare Will Now Cover Acupuncture for Chronic Low Back Pain

In January, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized a decision to cover acupuncture for Medicare patients with chronic low back pain. Previously, acupuncture was nationally not covered by Medicare. The change in coverage takes into account an assessment of benefits and harms and the opioid public health crisis. While a small number of adults 65 years or older have been enrolled in published acupuncture studies, patients with chronic low back pain in these studies showed improvements in function and pain. The decision supports clinical strategies that include nonpharmacologic therapies for chronic low back pain. And, CMS notes that while there is variation in covered indications and frequency of services, a number of large private payers provide some coverage of acupuncture for certain indications.

“We are dedicated to increasing access to alternatives to prescription opioids and believe that covering acupuncture for chronic low back pain is in the best interest of Medicare patients,” said CMS Principal Deputy Administrator of Operations and Policy Kimberly Brandt. “We are building on important lessons learned from the private sector in this critical aspect of patient care. Over-reliance on opioids for people with chronic pain is one of the factors that led to the crisis, so it is vital that we offer a range of treatment options for our beneficiaries.”