Families change. This is the one status quo item that sets apart the insurance policies written for families and those written for single individuals. There are new children being born into families, other family members aging and qualifying for Medicare, then there are the family members who may want to change the direction their healthcare is taking, and finally there are the students who are moving away from home and now need their own coverage. In some cases these students will even travel abroad, further complicating the life of insurance brokers.

This flux is usually not a big problem with the exception of the holistic care. Osteopathic care provided by licensed, degreed, and accredited doctors of osteopathy (D.O.s) is already covered by the majority of health plans. At times, there is a bit of discussion if this coverage extends to those who are also under the concurrent care of a primary care physician or for the younger members of the family who are traditionally covered by a pediatric M.D., but by and large osteopathy does not present a big problem. The same is true for osteopathic specialists who might have taken extra training in the areas of geriatric care or gynecological health.

It is the problem of finding medical care coverage for services provided by other holistic care providers. Sometimes a D.O. will refer a patient to a chiropractor for spinal adjustments, but because of the limitations placed on the number of annual chiropractic visits, the adjustments deemed necessary by the osteopath may not always be paid for. Similarly, when smoking cessation is indicated by the D.O., she or he may consider sending the patient to a hypnotherapist. This may also be done to affect weight loss. While medical doctors may be quick to prescribe diet pills, a D.O. is going to be very hesitant to take this route and will instead search for other measures instead.

Unfortunately, while many health plans do cover smoking cessation therapy, hypnotherapy is not necessarily covered. This leaves the patient in a bind, but when it comes to a family policy that covers a number of different individuals with different preferences and needs, it can actually lead to a somewhat disastrous state of affairs. Some individuals will not receive the kind of healthcare they require, while others are submitting to what they perceive to be substandard care and in which they might not be willing to participate as much as they would if they were following through on the advice of an osteopath.

This requires family medical coverage to be updated frequently, adjusted with riders, and also supplemented with additional option coverage for some individuals. The person in charge of making the medical coverage decision within the family will do well to occasionally converse with the insurance broker through whom they purchase the policy to see what updates are available and if there are cheaper alternatives. This is especially true if there is a secondary policy through one of the family members’ jobs that may cover some holistic measures but not others.

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