There is a lot of confusion about IV therapy and whether or not it is covered by health insurance. Much of the confusion comes because some doctors and patients believe that IV therapy is necessary because of certain medical conditions. The problem with that thought process is other doctors will step forward and debate that IV therapy is not always necessary. Even when it is, there are usually other medical treatments available for many of the same conditions.

On the insurance company side of the argument, they of course will dispute the validity of IV therapy being a necessary medical treatment. Why would they do that? They would argue that to avoid having to pay for any costs related to IV therapy. Here’s the underlying issue. In 2009, President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law. The law mandates that all Americans must carry some form of health insurance either through their employer or as individuals. As part of the law, Congress put pressure on insurance companies to expand medical coverage into more areas. IV therapy was one of those areas. However, there was never an actual dictate that forces insurance companies to cover IV therapy.

Hence, most of them won’t. Without being forced to, most insurance companies won’t cover IV therapy. That doesn’t mean that some of them don’t because there are a few that will cover at least a portion of IV therapy if there is a medical need associated with the claim. However, more than a few IV therapy providers have been claiming that insurance companies are slow-walking IV therapy claims. Some payments are taking as long as 90 days for processing, which puts a financial burden on the IV therapy providers. From health insurance customers, there are also complaints that their out-of-pocket costs after insurance are applied make it feel as though there is no coverage at all.

When all of this is collectively put under scrutiny, it really becomes a messy issue. In this modern age of medical technology, patients want access to special treatments like IV therapy. They want the opportunity to get healthy and stay healthy. Moreover, they feel insurance companies should bear more of the costs under the guise of preventative medicine. It’s not likely to happen any time soon.

Will Insurance Companies Accept Insurance as a Viable Form of Payment for IV therapy?

Given all the hassles related to these issues, a lot of IV clinics and medical professionals are taking a stand. To the chagrin of patients, they are simply refusing to accept insurance of any level of IV treatment, whether it’s medically necessary or not. Here are the reasons why:

• After submitting claims, they might get rejected leaving the IV provider holding the bag
• Insurance companies are slow-walking claims
• There is too much paperwork involved to justify trying
• Too many hassles and hardships for patients

For patients, they will have to make other payment arrangements. As a point of reference, IV therapy could run anywhere from $25 a treatment to as high as $100 a treatment. It all depends on the reasons for the IV therapy, the substance or substances being infused, and the patient’s circumstances. For now, it is up to patients to decide whether or not they want to push the insurance issue. If their insurance company will pay for at least a portion of IV therapy, it might be worth the effort for a patient to seek out an IV therapy provider that will in fact process an insurance claim. If the savings would be 50% or more of the costs, it might make sense to try. In the future, the medical community and insurance carriers might want to get together to reach some kind of agreement related to the importance of IV therapy. The results for patients are usually very good.

That should pressure insurance companies to look at IV therapy as a means of preventative treatment. If you are interested or need IV therapy, you should check with your insurance company before you seek out an IV therapy provider. If we can be of assistance, we will gladly help you through the process. As for actual IV therapy, we are in a position to provide you with that which you need. For more information about our IV therapy services, you can call one of our staff members at 205-352-9141. Your health matters and IV therapy could make a difference in your health.