Your Guide to Navigating Health Insurance and Physical Therapy

All physical therapy is medically beneficial, regardless of what the bureaucratic fine print tells you. Here’s everything you need to know about physical therapy and insurance coverage.

Define “Necessary”

The general rule of thumb when it comes to physical therapy insurance coverage is that insurance covers treatment that’s considered “medically necessary.” How is that defined?

Medically necessary: treatment needed to diagnose or treat an illness, injury, condition, disease or its symptoms (Healthcare.gov)
cash-based physical therapy

What’s Left Out?

For insurance purposes, “medically necessary” treatment is mostly reactionary: it’s given after you’ve been injured or ill. In practice, reactionary can also be restrictive, because it leaves out lots of essential treatments, including:
E

Preventive physical therapy

E

Long-term physical therapy

E

Holistic physical therapy

Preventive Physical Therapy

This kind of physical therapy works to stave off negative health conditions, including arthritis, heart disease, and osteoporosis, just to name a few. It can make a huge difference in your cardiovascular health, strength, and mobility, both short- and long-term.

Long-term Physical Therapy

Most insurance covers physical therapy for only a certain amount of time, leaving you to fend for yourself if you need long-term care. Long-term physical therapy can be life-changing when it comes to pain management and gradual mobility improvement for conditions like scoliosis, sciatica, or muscular dystrophy.

Holistic Physical Therapy

In order to be covered by insurance, physical therapy must usually be targeted at a specific injury or illness. This can leave out the rest of your body, looking the other way when it comes to holistic solutions for overall pain management, mobility, and health.

Say No To Limitations

We believe that physical therapy is about breaking boundaries, not conforming to them. That’s why we opt for a cash-based approach to care that rejects the limitations of insurance. Instead, our focus is on you, your needs, and your long-term wellbeing.

Learn More About Health Insurance and Physical Therapy

Dr. Ken Clark breaks down answers to some of the most common questions about health insurance and physical therapy. Check it out.

Testimonials

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"Thank you for getting me back on my feet. "
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"Dr. Clark is an amazing person. Professional, Caring and knowledgable"
"Back to my usual 2 mile a day walking routine and feeling great."

Schedule Your First Evaluation

Let’s make moves.

Set up your first session with Dr. Ken Clark. We’ll go over your pain points, lifestyle habits, and goals in order to come up with a tailor-made physical therapy plan for short-term relief and long-term results.

If you’re not quite ready to set up an in-person evaluation, feel free to give us a call instead. We can talk through your options and answer any questions you may have.