Regence Insurance Slashes Reimbursements for Acupuncturists: What This Means for Your Care and What You Can Do About It

Dear Community,

As many of you know, I’ve been dedicated to providing high-quality acupuncture services for over a decade. Unfortunately, I recently received a letter that could significantly impact the care I’m able to provide. Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon has announced a major reduction in reimbursement rates for acupuncturists, effective December 1, 2024. Under these new rates, all health care providers will have reduced time to spend evaluating your health. Acupuncturists like myself will be reimbursed only 58% of what other healthcare providers receive for the same evaluation and management (E&M) services.

For context, E&M services encompass the portion of your visit where I gather information about your health concerns, take your vitals, assess your pulses, examine your tongue, review any labs and charts, conduct a thorough diagnosis, rule out any red flags, develop your treatment plan, and create any necessary referrals.

The Problem: Unfair Reimbursement Rates

Let me put this into perspective. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Physics, a Master’s degree in Acupuncture (a rigorous four-year program), and have completed an additional year to earn my Doctorate. This training, combined with years of experience, has allowed me to provide you with the best care possible. However, this expertise comes at a cost—$144,000 in student loans, which, due to low insurance reimbursements, has now ballooned to $450,000. This is not just a problem for acupuncturists; many healthcare providers, including physicians, are facing significant financial challenges due to the high cost of education and inadequate insurance reimbursements that do not constitute a living wage for us (Mitchell, 2021; American Medical Association, n.d.; National Bureau of Economic Research, n.d.; Jena & Worsham, 2021; Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges, 2021).

Despite my dedication and the rising cost of living, Regence has determined that the services of all healthcare providers are worth less than before. Even more troubling, they have decided that the services I provide as an acupuncturist are worth significantly less than those provided by other healthcare professionals with equal or less education, such as Registered Dieticians and Nurse Practitioners. This is despite the fact that acupuncture is recognized as an Essential Health Benefit in Oregon, meaning it is a required part of your insurance coverage.

“Parity laws” are designed to protect certain healthcare providers from being unfairly discriminated against by insurance companies. These laws are supposed to ensure that you can choose the provider that best meets your needs, knowing that your insurance will cover it fairly. However, in Oregon, where acupuncture is considered an essential health benefit, these parity laws need to be strengthened and enforced. Without fair reimbursement, acupuncturists may be unable to continue accepting insurance, which would limit your access to this vital care. It’s time to reevaluate and reinforce these laws to ensure that acupuncturists, and all healthcare providers, are paid a living wage and can continue offering the care you rely on.

Where Your Premiums Are Really Going

This isn’t just about my practice—it’s about where your healthcare dollars are going. While Regence cuts reimbursements to acupuncturists and other providers, their executives are making millions. For example, Mark Ganz, the former CEO of Cambia Health Solutions (Regence’s parent company), received a total compensation package of nearly $4 million in 2019. We are led to believe that our insurance premiums are being used to cover our healthcare costs, but in reality, a significant portion goes to exorbitant executive salaries (Manning, 2020).

How This Affects You

The reduction in reimbursements puts small healthcare providers like me in a difficult position. To continue offering the same level of care, I may need to see more patients at once, shorten your appointment times, or stop accepting insurance altogether. None of these options are good for patient care and they all work against accessibility in healthcare. Ultimately, this decision by Regence undermines the quality of care we all deserve.

What You Can Do: Advocate for Fairness

This is not just my fight—it’s yours too. We need to demand that insurance companies provide fair reimbursement to all healthcare providers, ensuring that you receive the care you need without compromising quality.

Together, we can push for a healthcare system that values quality care and fair treatment for all providers and ensures that you can continue to have acupuncturists available. Thank you always for your continued support.

Here’s how you can help:

Write to Your Representatives:

I’ve provided an email template for you below so that you can contact your state and federal representatives and ask that they take action to ensure fair reimbursement rates for all healthcare providers, including acupuncturists. 

If you’re an acupuncturist, I’ve created an alternative template for you that can be found here.

Below, you’ll find the contact information for key representatives in Oregon:

State Representatives:

Your representatives will be based in your district and you can find a map to look them up here. 

If you’re in the Woodlawn Neighborhood with us, we are House District 43 and the following legislators represent us. If you click the email, the basic letter is already written for you.

State Senator: Michael Dembrow
Email:  Sen.MichaelDembrow@oregonlegislature.gov
Phone: (503) 986-1723

Senator Dembrow’s likely replacement, current Representative Khanh Pham: Rep.KhanhPham@oregonlegislature.gov

State Representative Tawna Sanchez
Email: Rep.TawnaSanchez@oregonlegislature.gov
Phone: (503) 986-1443

Federal Legislators:

Senator Jeff Merkley
Email: Contact Form
Phone: (202) 224-3753

Senator Ron Wyden
Email: Contact Form
Phone: (202) 224-5244

U.S. House Representative (also based on your location).
For the Woodlawn neighborhood of NE Portland, we are represented by:

Representative Earl Blumenauer
Email: Contact Form
Phone: (202) 225-4811

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Action Item: Email Template for Your Representatives

Subject: Concern Regarding Reimbursement Rates for Our Acupuncturists

Dear [Representative’s Name],

I am writing to express my concern regarding the recent changes by Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon and other health insurance companies that significantly reduce reimbursement rates for acupuncturists. This decision not only undermines the value of acupuncture as an essential health benefit in Oregon but also threatens the quality of care that I rely on as a patient.

As your constituent, I urge you to take action to revise and strengthen our parity laws to ensure that all healthcare providers, including acupuncturists, are reimbursed fairly and equitably. Doing so will protect our access to care and ensure that our insurance premiums are used to support healthcare, rather than to inflate executive salaries.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely,  

[Your Name]  
[Your Address]

References:

American Medical Association. (n.d.). Medical student debt, the cost of attendance, and the economic diversity of matriculants. Retrieved from https://www.ama-assn.org/

Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges. (2021). The burden of student loan debt in the naturopathic profession. Retrieved from https://aanmc.org/

Jena, A. B., & Worsham, C. M. (2021). Financial stress among physicians: Implications for productivity and well-being. JAMA Network Open, 4(9), e2132467. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.32467

Manning, J. (2020, February 21). Mark Ganz’s retirement marks the end of an era at Cambia Health Solutions. The Lund Report. https://www.thelundreport.org/content/mark-ganzs-retirement-marks-end-era-cambia-health-solutions

Mitchell, J. (2021). The debt trap: How student loans became a national catastrophe. Simon & Schuster.

National Bureau of Economic Research. (n.d.). Medical debt in the US, 2009–2020. Retrieved from https://www.nber.org/