Will Insurance Pay For Massage Therapy After Car Accident?

Will Insurance Pay For Massage Therapy After Car Accident? While most health insurance doesn’t cover massage therapy, the Personal Injury Protection (PIP) portion of your auto insurance policy will cover any medical expenses your doctor recommends after a car accident, including MASSAGES! So, if you or someone you know has had the unfortunate experience of being in a car accident, ask your doctor or chiropractor to recommend a massage. It will help speed up your physical recovery and relieve emotional stress too!

Drivers can be left behind with pain and difficulty after an accident. Many drivers seek relief through massage therapy. But does car insurance cover the cost of massage therapy after an accident? Or are you forced to pay for massage therapy out of pocket?

Read on to learn if will insurance pay for massage therapy after car accident or not.

Will Insurance Pay For Massage Therapy After Car Accident

Most Insurance Companies Do Not Reimburse Massage Therapy.

In general, auto insurance companies do not cover the cost of massage therapy after an accident. Auto insurance can cover your medical bills or the medical bills of someone else who has injured you. However, massage therapy is usually not included in this coverage.

If you live in a no-fault condition, your medical bills are covered by your Injury Protection (PIP) coverage. If you live in a state of debt (as most states do), the driver’s injury liability coverage covers all medical expenses.

Insurance Companies May Reimburse Massage Therapy If Prescribed By A Physician

It is rare for car insurance to cover the cost of massage therapy. However, it is not unheard of.

Your best option is to get a prescription for massage therapy from a doctor. If a doctor prescribes massage therapy to treat your injuries after an accident, then your auto insurance, or the guilty driver’s auto insurance policy, may cover the cost of massage therapy.

Some massage therapists work specifically with auto insurance companies. Payments are made directly from the insurance company to the massage therapist.

MASSAGE THERAPY MUST BE “MEDICALLY NECESSARY” AND “REASONABLE”

To determine whether or not massage therapy should be reimbursed, your insurance company will examine whether your massage therapy is “medically necessary” and “reasonable.”

Is your massage therapy really necessary to help you get better? Are you medically required to undergo massage therapy as a direct result of your car accident injury? Or is massage therapy something that will temporarily make you feel better?

And does the masseur charge reasonable prices? Is the price of massage therapy compared to the prices charged by other providers in the region? Is the client receiving too much massage therapy? Or does the client receive a normal number of massage treatments compared to car accident victims?

If you legitimately need massage therapy to heal yourself after an accident, car insurance can cover the cost of massage therapy.

Some drivers commit insurance fraud when applying for massage therapy coverage

If massage therapy is medically necessary and reasonably priced, your auto insurance company can cover it.

Unfortunately, insurance companies often deny coverage for massage therapy because there is a huge problem with fraud.

It is difficult for the insurance company to determine whether massage therapy is medically necessary and reasonably priced, so they simply refuse to reimburse it.

For example, CBS News recently reported a story about drivers in Florida illegally claiming massage therapy costs after an accident. It is a popular form of insurance fraud:

“Scammers have found a way to milk this [debt-free auto insurance] revenue stream with a swoop and squat auto accidents… and in some cases even create fake accidents using just paperwork.”

After creating an accident scene, scammers visit massage therapists and other professionals who are aware of the scam:

• Ringers, or brokers, organize “spider webs” of fake chiropractors, massage therapists, and clinics to deliver nonexistent X-rays and fraudulent diagnoses that deluge insurers with thousands of claims processed immediately after the “accident.”
• These types of stories are especially common in no-fault states, where Personal Injured Protection (PIP) coverage is specifically designed to cover direct costs following an accident. Fraudsters abuse these systems to collect fraudulent claims, such as for massage therapy.

This is one of the reasons insurance companies are reluctant to reimburse massage therapy after an accident.

Consider Hiring A Lawyer – Will Insurance Pay For Massage Therapy After Car Accident

If you were injured in a car accident and you were not at fault, the other driver may be personally liable for your injuries, car repairs, and other costs.

If the insurance company is pressuring you, or if the insurance company is using its lawyers to intimidate you, you can hire their lawyer. A good car accident attorney will go against the insurance company and fight to make sure your massage therapy costs and other expenses are covered.

An attorney can also help you file a lawsuit against the at-fault driver, holding the other driver personally responsible for any additional costs beyond what is covered by auto insurance.

5 Ways Massage Therapy Can Help After a Car Accident

A car accident is traumatic, even if you are not injured. You have paperwork, repairs, and insurance claims, and all that stress can overshadow a little tenderness in the neck or a mild headache. Getting massage therapy after a car accident can make a difference in how you feel a week, a month, or even a year after the accident.

Massage therapy may be covered by your insurance

Your insurance may include personal injury insurance (PIP). That coverage means that your policy will pay for a certain amount of medical services to treat your injuries after an accident. If you have not used coverage for other services, it may cover the cost of massage therapy.

If you are involved in an accident involving another driver and that person is at fault, your policy may cover your massage therapy or other care. In some cases, you may be reimbursed, and in other cases, the insurance company Pinnacle Health Chiropractic will pay directly. It depends on the company, the policy, and the general situation.

The best way to find out if massage therapy will be reimbursed is to contact your insurance company. Their representatives can tell you if costs are covered and if there are any specific requirements, such as a prescription.

Emotional stability through massage.

Regardless of whether massage therapy is covered by your insurance, it is best to make an appointment as soon as possible after the accident. Some immediate benefits of massage therapy can help you get back on your feet.

One of the most immediate benefits is the effect massage has on the nervous system. Even if you are not injured, an accident is shocking and traumatic. Massage can improve your circulation, help you relax, and allow you to regain your emotional balance.

There is some scientific evidence that massage can relieve anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While there’s no guarantee that a massage soon after a car accident means you won’t develop such conditions, it certainly doesn’t hurt to work through the trauma quickly and regain your emotional stability.

Soft tissue injuries often respond to massage.

Soft tissue injuries to the neck, such as whiplash, are very common after car accidents. Massage is generally an effective method for these types of injuries. Massage increases circulation, which promotes healing.

Massage also relieves pain from soft tissue injuries. With whiplash, in particular, symptoms can include a poor range of motion and stiffness, and massage improves both symptoms.

Knee injuries are also common in car accidents. Massage therapy can help again by relieving pain and promoting the healing of the soft tissue of the joint.

Massage therapy can help treat concussions

If you suffer a concussion in a car accident, massage therapy can be a helpful treatment, right away or over the next few days and weeks. Massage techniques designed to strengthen your parasympathetic nervous system work especially well for those who have a concussion or are experiencing problems after a concussion.

Massage therapy and pain or generalized pain

Anyone who has been in an accident can tell you that you may experience pain in seemingly strange places in the days that follow. You may not remember hitting your shoulder, but you probably feel like you did, or you have unexplained lower back pain. The force and speed of a car accident can hurt your entire body.

Massage provides pain relief. It increases circulation, improves the function of your lymphatic system, and helps reduce inflammation. Trigger point therapy, a specific form of massage therapy, can also resolve unspecified or generalized pain.

Bottom Line: Will Insurance Pay For Massage Therapy After Car Accident

Will insurance pay for massage therapy after car accident? In general, auto insurance companies do not reimburse the cost of massage therapy. However, if massage therapy is considered “medically necessary” and “reasonable” after your accident, then car insurance may cover massage therapy.

Ask your doctor for a prescription for massage therapy. Without a prescription, auto insurance is unlikely to cover the cost of massage therapy.