Medicare: Acupuncture Coverage Expansion
A house committee must act next: committee consideration.
The bill has support from both parties and offers an alternative to opioid painkillers, but the cost of adding new Medicare benefits is always a major challenge in Congress.
Scores run from -100 (strongly harmful) to +100 (strongly beneficial) for each group, combining impact, certainty, scope, and duration ratings of 1-5. How impact scoring works
Licensed acupuncturists, many of whom run independent practices, would gain a new revenue stream by being able to bill Medicare directly as recognized practitioners. The bill treats qualified acupuncturists as practitioners for billing purposes and sets up a physician fee schedule payment pathway for their services.
“A qualified acupuncturist (as defined in section 1861(nnn)(2)).”
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) introduced the Acupuncture for Our Seniors Act of 2025 in February. The bill would provide more complete Medicare coverage for acupuncture services. It has one Republican and 12 Democratic co-sponsors. A recent JAMA study showed positive results for treating chronic back pain.
The Acupuncture for Our Seniors Act aims to bridge coverage gaps by allowing licensed acupuncturists to enroll in Medicare and Medicaid networks. This change would increase access for seniors and support opioid reduction efforts in states like West Virginia struggling with provider shortages.
No votes or related bills recorded for this bill yet.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Acupuncture for Our Seniors Act of 2025
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