Acupuncturists in San Francisco, CA

Cost and insurance

• Some health insurance policies cover acupuncture and others don't, and coverage is often limited based on the condition being treated.
• The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) says insurance plans differ greatly in what complementary health approaches they cover, and suggests not assuming a plan will cover a practitioner's services but contacting the insurer to ask.
• Medicare.gov says Medicare Part B only covers acupuncture (including dry needling) for chronic low back pain (lasting 12 weeks or longer, with no known cause (for example, not related to cancer that has spread, or an inflammatory or infectious disease), and not associated with surgery or pregnancy): up to 12 treatments in 90 days, plus 8 more for patients showing improvement, to a maximum of 20 in a 12-month period. After the Part B deductible, the patient pays 20% of the Medicare-approved amount.
• Medicare.gov says Medicare can't pay licensed acupuncturists directly, and that you must get acupuncture from a doctor or another health care provider (such as a nurse practitioner or physician assistant) who has both a master's or doctoral degree in acupuncture or Oriental medicine from an ACAHM-accredited school and a current, full, active and unrestricted license to practice acupuncture in the state where the care is given.
• Medicaid coverage of acupuncture varies from state to state.
• IRS Publication 502 lists acupuncture among the medical expenses that can be included in the itemized deduction for medical and dental expenses, which covers only the part of those expenses above 7.5% of adjusted gross income.

Sources: NCCIH: Acupuncture: Effectiveness and Safety; NCCIH: 6 Things To Know When Selecting a Complementary Health Practitioner; Medicare.gov: Acupuncture; CMS: MLN Matters MM13288: National Coverage Determination 30.3.3, Acupuncture for Chronic Low Back Pain; IRS: Publication 502 (2025), Medical and Dental Expenses.

How to choose an acupuncturist