Listen instead:
We live in a historically rural area, something like a southern version of Funny Farm’s Redbud, and it’s a pretty common joke around here that the distance between our town and other (actually very nearby) towns is Practically Insurmountable, and requires a passport.
For whatever reason, this is especially true when comparing Fincastle, our town, and Salem, a (very) small city situated 20.6 miles to the south of us. It’s 20.6 miles, folks, and the traffic is not standstill, or even standstill-ish.
I don’t know if it’s the stoplights, or the fact that you have to take the interstate, or a natural Bermuda Triangle-esque phenomenon, but going all the way to Salem is a such *a thing* around here that people say all the way to Salem automatically, almost like How are you?
A conversation might go like this: Hi, how are you? I haven’t seen you in 3 years because it’s not often that I get out all the way to Salem!
So when, back in the early days of our acupuncture practice, people began coming all the way from Salem to our clinic, I took it as a feather in my cap, a badge on my Acupuncture Scouting Sash, and a definite selling point.
At the time, I felt that such selling points were very necessary. People around here are uncertain about acupuncture, because (a) it’s super different from what we’re used to, and (b) it’s an out-of-pocket expense. People want to know how much acupuncture costs, so they can weigh that against the likelihood of it working.
It makes sense. We’re not billionaires or 1%ers, and while it might be nice to just fling dollars around and try out all the things, people like you and me wouldn’t actually know that from direct experience. But here’s what’s hard about the question — the answer to how much acupuncture costs isn’t straightforward. It depends.
Acupuncture Costs… How Much?
You probably know how much your stylist charges for a haircut, how much the neighborhood drive-through car wash is, or how much your beverage of choice costs by the glass or mug.
But do you have any idea what your doctor actually charges? I don’t even know if that’s knowable. That’s because most doctors in this country are part of a larger insurance system that I’m pretty sure no people understand, chiefly because it’s been designed that way.
The cost of a session with an acupuncturist depends on lots of things — but likely not on whether they’re in-network, because most health insurance doesn’t cover acupuncture.
There are some very specific insurances with very specific instances of coverage. Acupuncturist groups are working to lobby for changes, and well — who knows? Maybe we’ll see meaningful coverage and Americans getting excellent health insurance, with liberty and outcomes improving for all. At the moment, though, it’s pretty much hit and mostly miss.
Medicare, for example, takes this approach to acupuncture: They’ll cover it for chronic low back pain — which has a very specific definition and several exceptions. They further stipulate that the acupuncture must be performed by a doctor, nurse practitioner, or PA who is accredited by an accreditation group I have never heard of, one that doesn’t credential licensed acupuncturists.
So… this is one example of where we are. Acupuncture can sometimes be covered by insurance, as long as it is not performed by a licensed acupuncturist, and not accredited by the national body that credentials acupuncturists. We have a ways to go.
Acupuncture Cost Variables
There are a couple of variables that affect how much your overall investment in acupuncture will cost. One such variable is the type of practice you go to, and the other is the frequency of treatment.
Practice Type
Different Chinese medicine practices offer different types of services, and they charge for those services differently.
Some practices offer group acupuncture — known as community acupuncture — for a lower price point. These treatments take place in a group setting and usually involve needles in the ears, forearms, and lower legs. That way people don’t have to disrobe, and the practitioner can move from chair to chair, quickly treating many people at a time. Conversation is typically minimal and whispered, so as not to disturb the other clients.
Appointment duration varies — some places set a time, others let people stay for as long as they want. Community acupuncture treatments are sometimes offered on a sliding scale. Generally, community acupuncture costs somewhere between $25 and $60.
Other practices offer individual treatments at a higher price point. These treatments occur in a private treatment room and generally involve a fair amount of conversation and discussion about symptoms. Typically, clients disrobe for these treatments. The practitioner has more time one-on-one with the client in these types of appointments, which often last between an hour and 90 minutes.
It’s not uncommon for the practitioner to let the client rest with their needles for a large portion of the treatment time, and move to another room to treat another client. Because there’s more time during an individual treatment, the practitioner may use a variety of therapies depending upon their training and inclination, including moxibustion, gua sha, cupping, and tui na. Individual treatment prices vary widely, falling somewhere in the range of $90–$200.
Some practices offer both treatment types at different times. Both community and individual acupuncture initial visits are typically more expensive than their successors. This is because the practitioner spends more time going into health history and diagnosis than in subsequent appointments.
Still other practices price their services à la carte. Meaning, acupuncture costs a certain amount, but moxibustion, heat lamps, cupping, and other adjunct techniques incur additional charges. Additionally, services like herbal medicine and tui na may be their own appointment types, with their own prices.
At Huwe Acupuncture, we offer only individualized treatments, and our services aren’t billed à la carte. We also don’t stack clients. We intentionally treat one person at a time, applying the fullness of our focus to each individual.
Frequency of Treatment
So that’s how much-ish acupuncture might cost per visit. But how do you know how many visits you’ll need? Again — sorry, folks — it depends.
This isn’t like getting a new set of tires so you can drive all the way to Salem; there’s not a discrete, predictable timeframe to this thing.
The length of time you’ll need to start feeling better depends upon your underlying health, the focus of the treatment, and how much time you’re able to commit. If we’re working on shoulder pain you’ve had since you broke your collarbone 39 years ago, it may take a little longer than treating a week’s worth of constipation.
Typically, we expect some sort of change during or after the first couple of treatments, but not a full recovery. Most people’s situations improve incrementally, and by the third treatment they’re more fully aware of their progress.
People generally come to our clinic 4–6 times for their initially troubling issue, and then come regularly for other things. But that’s just a ballpark figure in an attempt to answer the question; within that estimate is always the element of unknown potential. Sometimes the body responds with such swiftness and grace that it almost seems magical.
Then there’s the matter of personal preference. Some people like to come back seasonally, if they feel like something’s off, or if they get injured. In our practice, after people came all the way from Salem, word started to spread. Then they started coming ALL THE WAY FROM LEXINGTON, which deserves its all-caps status, because that’s a 40-minute drive.
And look, I’m going to tell you because Brian won’t even humble-brag about it: He’s had people regularly drive from out of state to see him. Sure, there were other acupuncturists in their area, but the fit with him was just right.
From the outside this might sound like a huge investment or time suck, but here’s the thing — if you have flummoxing, consuming, life-disrupting, painful, and/or scary health symptoms that respond to acupuncture, you’ll find a way to get to your acupuncturist if you can. It’s a real thing when you find someone who understands how to work with your body.
Conclusion on Acupuncture Costs
Although acupuncture has seen a rise in popularity and acceptance in the past 25 years or so, Chinese medicine practitioners and our clients remain trailblazers. We’re still figuring out how this medicine fits into US society.
We know, though, that Chinese medicine is powerfully effective — especially in cases of pain — and it greatly reduces suffering. Thanks to acupuncture, people can avoid surgery, heal more quickly after surgery, and forego or reduce pain medications by 45%, just for example.
It’s highly beneficial to every bottom line, and while we, as practitioners, are not eager to be swallowed up by our nation’s current health insurance structure, we do hope more people will be able to afford acupuncture. And we hope more people will become — and be able to remain — acupuncturists. But that last part is a post for another day.
by Mary Beth Huwe
These writings are an exploration of what it means to be human – to be sick, to be well, and to heal – viewed through the lens of classical Chinese medicine. My words aren’t medical advice, and these essays don’t constitute a practitioner-client relationship. They also aren’t meant to be the final word on… well, anything. Rather, I hope they are the beginning of a conversation you have with someone in your life. Thanks for reading!
