Year's ago, what is now known by some buzz words like 'alternative', 'complementary', or the most recent
'integrative', used to be the norm.
We had what was really collaborative health care.
People knew what they could do and when they could not do something that was best for a patient they automatically collaborated with another health care provider, professional or ancillary.
Then along came HMOs and managed care, and now here we are. Another "back to the future" moment.
While it may be a little better for those with health insurance to get some out of the mainstream care, it will still be the Big Insurance providers wielding the pen. And the pen will say 'yea' or 'nay'.
Now for example, chiropractors are allowed to bill for a limited number of visits. Other "integrative " approaches are in the same category. And it seems a doctor has to refer you, so you really don't have a choice of your own making. Because of the referral charges your cost will be higher.
It has been interesting to watch over the decades that I have been involved with providing natural health care as a nurse practitioner in hospitals and other settings. I've always stayed outside the insurance framework in private practice so that has been interesting too because what I do hasn't been limited or controlled. And, consider too that with my focus on public health, I have always relied on the collaborative model. Referrals are good.
One thing for sure, all this will soon be controlled under doctors as they are scrambling to get certified in "integrative" care, to keep the market place in their hands.
And just as standards of care for pharmaceutical treatment for your condition is now the cookie cutter approach you get, believe me, this will come along in some form to the "integrators".
Only now it will become Cookie Cutter integrative medicine with "condition specific supplements".
By the way, that model is NOT natural health care!
Your best insurance, get some good education from a true expert.
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