Chiropractors in Arizona are afraid that the recent changes in payment policies by Blue Cross Blue Shield and Cigna HealthCare could tear a big hole in their income or even drive them out of business.

The fear is so real that one industry group has decided to fund a lawsuit against the director of the Arizona Department of Insurance because they want to make the agency stop the insurance companies’ “unfair payment practices.” It is currently believed that insurance companies like Cigna are treating the chiropractors differently than it treats other medical and osteopathic practitioners.

This entire situation is built around a change to how insurance companies are handling the benefits payments for chiropractic services. However, it is a good sign of how chiropractors are considered as “alternative health providers.” Insurance companies are trying to save money on what they consider as treatment that may not be deemed as “medically necessary.”

Chiropractors are concerned that American Specialty Health’s scrutiny is going to significantly lower how many visits a patient can make to only a handful per year. What this means is that consumers that need as many as 25 visits per year may have to pay for those visits out-of-pocket. The chiropractors are also worrying that the company will drastically reduce the amount of money patients can be reimbursed.

Cigna, Blue Cross Blue Shield and the American Specialty Health are saying that customer policies aren’t going to be affected by the changes and that the medically necessary visits are still going to be covered.

Cigna has suffered from much controversy as policyholders have been filing disability insurance lawsuits against them amid claims of the company’s “bad faith” practices. It seems likely that the chiropractors are beginning to feel the same way about Cigna. If you have had a disability insurance claim denied or if you’ve had your benefits reduced or terminated, contact Greg Jones today. I am an experienced disability insurance lawyer who will work hard to get your insurance claim approved.