The Honorable Governor Gray Davis
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: Medi-Cal coverage for Acupuncture - Support
Dear Governor:
On behalf of the ethnically diverse Licensed Acupuncturists of California, our schools, students, and the patients we serve, we wish to voice our support for continued coverage for acupuncture services under Medi-Cal.
There are under-served, low income, and Asian-American communities who rely upon their professional acupuncturist for some basic health care services that they would not otherwise have access to. To deny them coverage would be a travesty, considering that the poor and uninsured are already put at a higher risk of health-related problems.
Furthermore, some acupuncture schools rely upon Medi-Cal patients to provide teaching opportunities for their students. In fact, one school has indicated that they would have to cut student enrollment by up to 13% if they were to lose their Medi-Cal patients. This would be a sad and needless loss to both the students and to the community they serve.
Acupuncture is cost-effective when compared to other options. The Medi-Cal reimbursement rate for acupuncture is very low, yet any health care coverage is better than none at all. Finally, acupuncture services make up such a small portion of the MediCal budget, that it can be economically preserved, even when widespread cost-cutting efforts are necessary.
