If you read my blog with any regularity, you know I am an avid believer in chiropractic philosophy, which places a strong emphasis on the body’s intrisinic (innate) healing wisdom and far less reliance on band-aids like drugs and surgery. But you may be surprised to learn how much money chiropractic care can save you versus conventional medicine.
This Archives of Internal Medicine study compared the health expenses of more than 700,000 health plan members with chiropractic coverage with 1 million members of the same health plan without this option. Just comparing the two superficially, those with chiropractic insurance coverage spent about 12 percent less ($1,463) than who didn’t have it ($1,671). Overall, that savings would amount to some $47.5 million annually, due to fewer tests, shorter hospital stays and speedier recoveries. And, at the health plan level, chiropractic coverage was associated with a 1.6 percent drop in total annual health care costs.
More cost-saving numbers based on using chiropractic treatments versus conventional medicine:
- Treating back pain = 28 percent.
- Reduced hospitalizations among back pain patients = 41 percent.
- Fewer back surgeries = 32 percent.
- Less medical imaging = 37 percent.
If you want to learn more about choosing a good chiropractor, I urge you to read this awesome article by Dr. Christopher Kent, vice president of the World Chiropractic Alliance, president of the Council on Chiropractic Practice and one of the major leaders in his profession.
Archives of Internal Medicine, Vol. 164, No. 18, October 11, 2004: 1985-1992