Benefits of Medicare Coverage of Naturopathic Medicine

Medicare is a federally-funded health insurance program mainly for people over 65. Medicare has two parts: hospital insurance and medical insurance. If you qualify for hospital insurance it is free, however, most people have to pay for the medical insurance. The standard premium for Medicare's medical insurance is $110.50, and covers doctor's visits and outpatient care. Naturopathic medicine is covered under Medicare and offers several benefits to enrollees.

Treatment for Chronic Ailments

• Naturopathy follows a principle of treating the whole person. Thus a naturopath doctor assesses a patient's lifestyle, personality and more in making a diagnosis and recommending treatment. For this reason naturopaths are sought to cure chronic rather than acute symptoms. Since Medicare's medical insurance covers outpatient care, naturopaths are a good fit for anyone with Medicare's medical insurance who wishes to treat a longstanding condition.

Reduced Costs Through Prevention

• Treatment for illnesses costs Medicare a lot of money through the hospital and medical insurance plans. According to Lisa Potetz in her report "Financing Medicare: an Issue Brief" published in January 2008, Medicare is to go insolvent in 2008. The inclusion of preventative medicine is in keeping with an effort to drive down costs. The less people who need expensive surgeries the more savings Medicare will accrue. Since naturopaths focus on disease and illness prevention, providing insurance that covers visits to such offices can reduce Medicare's outlays.

Reduced Costs Through Natural Healing

• Naturopaths believe in supporting the body in its natural ability to heal itself by providing it with the right nutrients and comforts. Rather than prescribing symptom reducers, such as ibuprofen, naturopathic doctors suggest that many symptoms represent how the body heals itself. Because they prescribe less, the costs to the patient and Medicare go down.