Can Chiropractors Opt Out of Medicare?

 

No. Medical doctors can choose to opt out, but Chiropractors cannot.

If a licensed Doctor of Chiropractic sees a patient who has Medicare, the Chiropractor must, by law, report it to Medicare. Medicare covers Chiropractic treatment to the spine, and patients with Medicare insurance have the right to have their Medicare pay for their spinal treatment. 

If your Chiropractor sees Medicare patients but does not accept assignment (accept payment from Medicare), you must pay at the time of service, your Chiropractor then sends the report of her / his services and charges to Medicare, and you will be reimbursed directly from Medicare. 

Medicare will process the statement of services and charges received from your Chiropractor, and then send the statement on to your secondary or supplemental carrier. Whatever amount your supplemental insurance will pay, they will also send the reimbursement directly to you.

Pregnancy and Postpartum

A hormone called “relaxin” is generated in a woman’s body when she is pregnant. It has a loosening effect on her joints, partly to prepare the pelvic joints for passage of the baby through the birth canal, but it affects all the joints in her body. Because of this, her joints become more vulnerable to misalignments or distortions.

It is especially beneficial for expectant moms to come in for periodic full-body balancing. My Activator Chiropractic method is gentle, comfortable, precise, and especially suited for women in pregnancy.

After the birth, relaxin slowly dissipates, but for a while the mother’s joints remain susceptible. So continuing to get checked and balanced, while the body returns to pre-pregnancy status, is a good idea.

Ribs---Like a Bucket Handle

Think of each of your ribs as being like a bucket handle:  on our right side, each rib is attached in our back at a thoracic vertebra, and curves around under our arm and across our chest, where it attaches in the front to our sternum. Ditto each rib on our left side at the matching spinal levels.

With inhalations, our chest expands. With deeper breaths, the ribs move up / out from their front & back attachments, in the same way that a bucket handle moves from its attachments on either side of a bucket.

An impact on a rib in the back can affect its attachment in the front of the body, and vice versa. Impacts on side(s) of rib(s) can disturb their attachment(s) in front and / or back. Careful assessment of the rib cage is part of my full-body balancing with Activator Chiropractic.

5 Secrets of Neck Pain Relief

 

5 SECRETS OF NECK PAIN RELIEF

WATCH OUT FOR HEAD-FORWARD POSTURES,

     which strain the muscles in your neck.

USE YOUR HEADREST,

    especially when you're a passenger. with someone else driving.

SLEEP ON THE RIGHT PILLOW,

    one that adequately supports your cervical spine.

BE KIND TO YOUR NECK,

    guard against sudden extreme movements, or repetitive motions 

    of your head.

GET YOUR SPINE CHECKED

    for underlying problems by your Activator Chiropractor---ME! 

Reversal of Cervical Curve

Often after an injury such as whiplash, there is a reversal, or “straightening” of the normally forward-facing curve in the neck. Sometimes this happens in absence of injury, and is unexplained. The altered curve changes biomechanical function, posture, and may result in chronic discomfort. The cervical vertebrae should be gently and precisely aligned, and appropriate exercises and stretches prescribed. Traction is often part of my treatment plan for this.