Insurance Guides
Do Chiropractors Take Insurance?
Most chiropractors do, and most health plans include some chiropractic benefit. Coverage usually applies to active treatment of a specific problem, with a yearly visit limit and a copay or coinsurance. Maintenance visits are often not covered, so check your plan, or let us check it for you.
The Short Answer
Yes, most chiropractors bill insurance, and chiropractic is one of the more commonly covered services in health plans. Expect limits: a set number of visits per year, your deductible, and cost sharing per visit. Coverage is built around fixing a specific problem, so ongoing maintenance care is often self-pay. After a car accident, your auto insurance (PIP) usually pays instead.
What Is Covered
Does Insurance Cover Chiropractic Care?
Usually, with conditions. Here is what chiropractic benefits commonly include and where they commonly stop:
Adjustments for a diagnosed problem
Spinal manipulation for back pain, neck pain, headaches, and similar conditions is the core of most chiropractic benefits.
Exams and re-exams
Often covered, sometimes with their own cost sharing. Re-exams document progress, which matters for continued coverage.
Related therapies
Soft tissue work, rehab exercise, or massage may be covered when they are part of the treatment plan. This varies widely by plan.
Imaging
X-rays are ordered only when clinically indicated, and coverage depends on your plan.
Maintenance care
Visits after you have stabilized, aimed at staying well rather than fixing a problem, are often not covered.
Medicare
Does Medicare Cover Chiropractic Care?
Only part of it. Medicare Part B covers manual manipulation of the spine by a chiropractor when it is medically necessary to correct a specific problem, as active treatment. It does not cover maintenance care. It also generally does not cover other services a chiropractor provides or orders, such as massage or X-rays. Your Part B deductible and coinsurance generally apply.
We accept Medicare for chiropractic spinal manipulation when it is part of active treatment. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan, its chiropractic benefits can differ from Original Medicare, so check with the plan or let us verify it.
Auto Accidents
Does Car Insurance Cover a Chiropractor After an Accident?
Usually, yes. In Washington, Personal Injury Protection (PIP) on your auto policy pays for injury treatment regardless of who was at fault. Chiropractic care for whiplash, back pain, and soft tissue injuries after a crash is commonly billed to PIP, and patients typically pay nothing out of pocket while the claim is active.
Your policy sets the dollar limit, so ask your auto insurer for your claim number and PIP medical limit. Our car accident chiropractor page covers what to do after a crash and how we bill PIP and work with attorneys.
Step by Step
How to Check Your Chiropractic Benefits
Call the member services number on the back of your insurance card and ask about chiropractic benefits. These are the questions that prevent surprise bills:
- 1Do I have chiropractic benefits, and how many visits per year are covered?
- 2Does my deductible apply first, and what is my copay or coinsurance per visit?
- 3Do I need a referral or preauthorization?
- 4Are exams, X-rays, and therapies like massage or rehab exercise covered, or only adjustments?
- 5Is my chiropractic benefit managed by a separate network, such as American Specialty Health (ASH)?
- 6Is the clinic I want to visit in network?
Or skip the hold music: call us at (206) 523-9000 before your first visit and we can help verify your benefits.
Plan by Plan
Chiropractors That Take Premera, Regence, and Other Plans
Here is how chiropractic coverage works with the insurers we accept at our Seattle clinic. Plans differ even within the same insurer, so verify your own.
Premera Blue Cross
We accept Premera Blue Cross plans for chiropractic care. Benefits and visit limits vary by plan.
Regence BlueShield (including UW plans)
We accept Regence for chiropractic care, including the UW Regence plans many University of Washington and UW Medicine employees carry.
Aetna
We accept Aetna plans for chiropractic care. Copays, deductibles, and visit limits vary.
Cigna
We accept Cigna for chiropractic care. Benefits vary widely between Cigna plans.
Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser members can receive chiropractic care with us where their plan allows. Some Kaiser plans run chiropractic benefits through American Specialty Health (ASH), which we also accept.
United Healthcare
We accept United plans for chiropractic care. Visit limits and referral requirements differ by plan.
Medicare
We accept Medicare for chiropractic spinal manipulation when it is part of active treatment. Medicare does not cover maintenance care.
We also accept First Choice Health and American Specialty Health (ASH). See our insurance and payment page for details.
Self-Pay
What If You Would Rather Not Use Insurance?
Some people have a high deductible, have used up their visits, or simply want a clear price. Our new patient special is $149 self-pay and includes your exam, a one-on-one consultation with the doctor, and your first treatment, a $300 value. You leave with a diagnosis and a plan, including an honest estimate of how often you should see a chiropractor for your situation.
At MindBody Med Seattle
A Seattle Chiropractor That Checks Your Benefits First
Dr. John Chevigny (DC, CCSP, CSCS) and Dr. Gage Ford (DC) see patients at our Ravenna clinic, listed in the UW Medicine Clinical Referral Directory, with free on-site parking. Call with your insurance card and we can help confirm your chiropractic benefits before you book.
Learn more about chiropractic care at MindBody Med.
Chiropractic Insurance: Common Questions
Do chiropractors take insurance?
Most do, and most health plans include some chiropractic benefit. Coverage usually applies to active treatment of a specific problem, with a yearly visit limit, your deductible, and a copay or coinsurance. MindBody Med accepts Regence (including UW plans), Premera, Aetna, Cigna, Kaiser, Medicare, United Healthcare, First Choice Health, and American Specialty Health. Check your own plan, or let us verify it for you.
Does Medicare cover chiropractic care?
Partly. Medicare Part B covers manual manipulation of the spine by a chiropractor when it is medically necessary to correct a specific problem, as part of active treatment. It does not cover maintenance care, and it generally does not cover other services a chiropractor provides or orders, such as massage or X-rays. Your Part B deductible and coinsurance generally apply.
Does car insurance cover a chiropractor after an accident?
Usually, yes. In Washington, Personal Injury Protection (PIP) on your auto policy pays for injury treatment regardless of fault, and chiropractic care for crash injuries is commonly billed to it. Patients typically pay nothing out of pocket while the claim is active.
Do I need a referral to see a chiropractor in Washington?
No. Chiropractors are direct-access providers in Washington State, so you can book without a physician referral. Some insurance plans have their own referral or preauthorization requirements, which we check when we verify your benefits.
Is maintenance chiropractic care covered by insurance?
Often not. Many plans, and Medicare, cover chiropractic care only while it is improving a specific problem. Once you reach a stable point, ongoing wellness or maintenance visits are frequently self-pay. Ask your insurer how your plan defines it.
How much is a chiropractor without insurance in Seattle?
Prices vary by clinic. At MindBody Med, our new patient special is $149 self-pay and includes your exam, a one-on-one consultation, and your first treatment (a $300 value).
This article is general information, not insurance, legal, or medical advice. Coverage rules change and every plan is different, so always confirm your own benefits with your insurer or plan administrator. We are happy to help verify your benefits before your visit.