“Can I afford chiropractic care?”
2021 here we ARE! Top of the morning to you, New Day!
I want to tackle a question that weighs on us all, at times.
Knowing that care in our office is not covered by insurance (in almost all cases), can you afford chiropractic care? (Also, if you want to read more about why we do not process insurance in our office, click here!)
Decisions that involve your health, your time, your energy, and your money, are BIG decisions. Choosing chiropractic care, and choosing our care, are not decisions we would want anyone to make flippantly or without consideration.
Welcome to 2021. New year, new you <3 We welcome you to take a moment here, if you haven’t been doing this already, and consider your priorities for the year, for your health and your life, and if and how your care at New Day meets your needs. Now, can you afford it?
I’d like to share some information that could be helpful in your process, so that you can make an empowered decision about how to move forward with your health.
For those of you who like data– I invite you to take in some of these numbers. If not, feel free to scroll past this part!
“Chiropractic users tend to have substantially lower total healthcare costs,” and “chiropractic care reduces the use of both physician and hospital care,” according to a review of 2,000,000 chiropractic users.
– Journal of American Health Policy, 1992
Chiropractors save clients’ money and have high patient satisfaction:
- 60% fewer hospitalizations
- 62% fewer surgeries
- used 85% fewer pharmaceuticals than HMO clients who received traditional medical care.
- 91- 96% satisfaction with their care via clients surveyed
– Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 2007
A study of Washington state workers found that 1.5% of those who saw a chiropractor first for work-related back pain later had surgery, compared to 42.7% of those who first saw a surgeon.
– Study of Washington State Workers, 2012
A case study reported substantial improvements in the quality of life experienced by a patient undergoing subluxation-centered chiropractic care, including Network Spinal Analysis – over a period of 6 months time. Improvements included:
- decrease in palpable muscle tension
- improved surface EMG (scans)
- spontaneous smoking cessation
- the start of regular exercise
- desire to make better nutritional choices.
– Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, 2006
A health insurance plan with a chiropractic benefit had lower costs than a plan without it.
A study reported in the American Medical Association’s Journal found health plans that included a chiropractic benefit had 31 percent fewer back surgeries and 15 percent lower per capita hospital costs.
– Archives of Internal Medicine, October 2004.
A landmark study by Dr. Ron Rupert and his team at Parker College found individuals aged 65 years and older, who had received chiropractic care for 5 years or longer, spent only 31% of the national average for health care services. The chiropractic patients also experienced 50% fewer medical provider visits than their comparable peers.
– Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 2000.
A 2014 randomized controlled trial examined concluded that “a dose of 12 SMT (spinal manipulative therapy) sessions yielded a modest benefit in pain-free and disability-free days. Care of chronic LBP (Low Back Pain) with SMT did not increase the costs of treatment plus lost productivity.”
– Controlled trial, 2014
Spinal manipulation therapy has been found to be cost-effective for patients with sub-acute or chronic LBP (lower back pain). There was insufficient evidence for the cost-effectiveness of spinal manipulation for acute LBP (lower back pain).
– Systematic review, 2011
A study of patients with one or more neuro-musculoskeletal conditions showed that patients receiving chiropractic care experienced significantly lower health care costs. Chiropractic patients saved over $1000 per patient over the two-year study.
– Oakland University’s Stano Cost Comparison Study
Immediate access to chiropractic care after an injury results in the most effective outcome, medically and financially. “. . . We found that patients who were seen by chiropractors during the initial episode of care were less likely to have a surgery, and had a shorter average duration of the initial episode.”
-Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2004
The reality is that chiropractic SAVES PEOPLE MONEY.
This care saves money in the form of greater productivity, less surgeries, less money spent on prescription drugs and other short term, palliative treatments, greater quality of life and life enjoyment, and greater ability to make healthy decisions.
If you think you can’t afford chiropractic, the question I might ask is,
“can you afford not to do it?”
THANK YOU for taking the time to read this message. We look forward to seeing you at your next appointment.
In energy and aliveness,
Dr. Katie, Dr. Virginia, and the New Day Team
