Cost Sharing for Acupuncture Therapy in Commercial Insurance Plans

Cost sharing, or the extent to which patients contribute to health care spending, has been linked to various outcomes. The relationship between cost sharing and acupuncture utilization is unclear.

To measure the association between cost sharing (eg, copays, share of spending paid out of pocket, and consumer-driven health plans marked by high deductibles) and the use of in-network acupuncturists.

Our team used commercial insurance claims. The study sample included 105 501 individuals who visited an in-network acupuncturist between 2012 and 2021.

In plans with less out-of-pocket spending overall, more members used an in-network acupuncturist. Plans with $0 copays and consumer-driven health plans had less acupuncture utilization compared to plans with higher copays and non-consumer driven health plans.

Cost sharing had an inconsistent impact on acupuncture utilization. Our findings suggest that access to in-network acupuncturists is more important than cost sharing when it comes to increasing acupuncture utilization.