Manag Care Q. 2001 Fall; 9(4): 1-4.

Reimbursement for complimentary/alternative medicine by California HMOs.

Hughes A, Penner M.

Valley Medical Center, San Jose, CA, USA.

Beginning in the 1990s, researchers indicate a growing acceptance of complementary/alternative medicine in America. In this 1999 study, we surveyed California HMOs to determine the extent they reimburse for the following complementary/alternative therapies: nutrition counseling, chiropractic, acupuncture, massage and herbal medicine, as well as whether they require these providers to be licensed or otherwise credentialed. As hypothesized, California HMOs are more likely to reimburse for each of these therapies vs. an aggregate of 13 western U.S. states of which California is one. California's huge and competitive HMO market may be a factor.