Medicare looks to cover acupuncture for lower back pain

The Trump administration yesterday announced a proposal to cover acupuncture for chronic lower back pain under Medicare, saying it could be a way to reduce opioid prescribing for the common condition. “Defeating our country’s epidemic of opioid addiction requires identifying all possible ways to treat the very real problem of chronic pain,” HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement. Alternative medicine procedures are not usually covered under the government program. The proposal only applies to those enrolled in trials conducted by the NIH or approved by CMS. In its announcement, CMS said the decision was made based on growing evidence in recent years to suggest that acupuncture could alleviate lower back pain, although questions about the procedure still remain.