CMS Announces Up to 270 Medicare Advantage Plans Will Include Massage Therapy in 2019
AMTA has actively engaged the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) about the inclusion of massage therapy under Medicare Advantage programs as an option for members in licensed states who wish to be involved. In September, AMTA wrote to 700 Medicare Advantage programs encouraging them to support the April 2018 clarification by CMS that they should work toward including massage therapy for pain provided by a state licensed massage therapist as soon as possible.
CMS has recently announced that many Advantage plans will cover massage therapy in this way, beginning in 2019. “As a result of the new flexibilities on supplemental benefits available for the first time in 2019, about 270 plans are providing nearly 1.5 million enrollees with access to the following new types of benefits:
- Expanded health related supplemental benefits, such as adult day care services, in-home support services, caregiver support services, home-based palliative care and therapeutic massage…”
AMTA is continuing conversations to get more complete information on the plans that will offer massage therapy coverage for pain in 2019. As we learn more, we will inform our members and the entire profession.
Read more about Medicare Advantage plan choices and benefits in 2019.
Related Resources
Massage Therapy as an Alternative to Opioids »
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AMTA’s Massage Therapy in Integrative Care & Pain Management »