Insurance Information
Your insurance policy is a contract between you and your insurance company. The restrictions, constraints, and parameters imposed by insurance companies within this policy are constantly changing. Since it is impossible for us to be able to provide up-to-the minute information on any specific policy, please always call your insurance company beforehand and verify what treatments they will cover and for what period of time. You can obtain this information by calling the customer service number of the back of your insurance card. When you call, you might also want to ask about coverage parameters for preventive medicine (e.g. physical exams, PAPs, etc.), prescription drugs, deductibles, and co-payments.
Some policies will only allow so many visits per year or will cap how much they will pay for certain treatments. Coverage many also differ for acupuncture as opposed to naturopathic medicine. Certain naturopathic treatments, such as weight loss, infertility treatment, and NAET, are usually not covered by insurance.
Preferred Providers
As the Center continues to grow and evolve, the credentialling of our clinicians will also grow and change. Currently, all of our providers are preferred providers with Premera Blue Cross and Uniform Health. If you are covered by an insurance provider other than these, please call our office as there is a good chance one of our providers is covered by your insurance company. We continue to work on credentialing with other Washington providers.
Payments
We do collect co-payments at the time of your visit. If any treatment is not covered by your policy, you will be responsible for payment at the time of your visit. If you plan on paying by credit card, please note that we only accept credit cards in person. The reason for this is that the credit card companies charge us an exorbitant fee if we have to key in your credit card number versus swiping it on our terminal. If you find this as irritating as we do, you may want to consider letting your credit card company know.
Medicare, Medicaid, and Private Insurance
At this time, federal programs such as Medicare, DSHS, and Medicaid do not reimburse for naturopathic medical services. Large companies that self-insure such as Boeing are not required to cover natural medicine services. Many private insurance companies may cover our services, but it is important to check this before making an appointment.
Supplements
Supplements are usually not covered by insurance companies. However, there is no sales tax on supplements when prescribed by a physician. If you have a health saving account, you can use it to pay for your supplements.
Laboratory Tests
Most insurance companies have coverage for standard laboratory tests ordered by naturopathic physicians. At times, however, you may require testing that your insurance company may not cover. We discuss all laboratory testing with you so that you can participate in making an informed choice about this area of your health care.
