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New Complementary and Alternative Health Plan Coverages Now Available to Employers in the State of Texas

Texas Employers Can Now Purchase Chiropractic and Acupuncture Coverages as Supplemental Benefits for Employees

AUSTIN, Texas (Oct. 27, 2005) – American Specialty Health (ASH), the nation’s leading complementary health care organization, is offering new health plan coverages here that allow Texas employers to provide insurance benefits for complementary health care. This makes popular treatments such as chiropractic/manual manipulation, acupuncture, massage therapy, and dietetic counseling more accessible for employees.

Employers with 51 or more employees are able to purchase these benefits as a supplemental group benefit, similar to purchasing vision, dental, or behavioral health coverage. The benefits are offered by American Specialty Health Insurance Company (ASH Insurance), a subsidiary of ASH, and are available for both in-state and out-of-state employees.

Employers are increasingly eager to offer complementary health care coverage because of growing evidence that it can help reduce employee medical utilization as well as the overall costs of health care, according to George DeVries, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of ASH. In a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, employees with chiropractic insurance coverage had 41 percent fewer hospitalizations for back pain than employees without chiropractic coverage. They also had 32 percent fewer back surgeries and significantly lower utilization rates for CT/MRI scans and X-rays than employees without chiropractic insurance.

Also, employers are interested because of growing employee demand for complementary health services. According to a Centers for Disease Control study, 36 percent of consumers use some sort of complementary or alternative therapy.

"Our company is stepping in to meet a growing need that is often unfulfilled by mainstream insurers,” said DeVries. “As a result, coverage is becoming easier for employees to get. For example, the number of employees covered by acupuncture benefits increased from 33 percent in 2002 to 47 percent in 2004, while chiropractic coverage increased from 79 percent of workers in 2002 to 84 percent in 2004,” DeVries explained. “As medical costs continue to increase, more and more employers will be looking to these less costly options for care of employees."

Cynthia Tays, DC, an Austin-based chiropractor, believes that the availability of complementary health coverage is more important to patients now than ever before.

"Patients today are more sophisticated than in the past," said Dr. Tays. "They actively seek out information about options to traditional care and they better understand the role that alternative therapies can play in maintaining good health and in relieving chronic conditions. Complementary care providers offer more alternatives than traditional doctors. Patients want this kind of choice. It’s especially important for those who have a history of chronic conditions, like back pain, that hasn’t been resolved through traditional medicine or by taking prescription drugs."

Employees covered by ASH Insurance can access a network of contracted providers. Insureds who travel additionally have access to a national provider network of contracted acupuncturists, chiropractors, dietitians, massage therapists, medical doctors, and osteopathic physicians. In many cases, ASH Insurance may also cover employees residing in other states.

ASH is the nation’s leading specialty benefits organization for complementary health care, providing health benefits, health education, affinity network, and wellness programs to employer groups, trust funds, health plans, and insurance carriers nationwide. Based in San Diego, ASH has more than 600 employees and covers more than 12.5 million members in benefit programs nationwide. Its subsidiary, ASH Insurance, is licensed or admitted as an insurer in 43 states and the District of Columbia. For more information, visit ASHCompanies.com or call (800) 848-3555.