As a standard or primary form of treatment, Medicare does not cover PEMF therapy.
There are some instances in which electromagnetic therapy may be considered for coverage, however, provided that PEMF is not considered the initial therapy intervention, and symptoms have persisted past 30 days, despite efforts to heal.
PEMF therapy is an electromagnetic therapy that uses pulses of electromagnetic fields to stimulate cellular repair, communication, and function.
It has been evaluated for use as an intervention for arthritis, bone remodeling and fusion, depression, pain management, and chronic inflammation.
Despite decades of use and an ongoing reputation as a safe and effective intervention, many insurance companies are hesitant to cover PEMF therapy, due to the nature of PEMF machine’s registration with the FDA.
PEMF therapy machines are considered wellness devices by the FDA, rather than receiving a registration status as medical equipment, which makes it difficult for insurance companies to effectively regulate and evaluate PEMF machine use and clinician care.
Medicare changed guidelines to make room for the possibility of electromagnetic therapy coverage, provided that several criteria are met, most of them extremely specific and potentially difficult to adhere to.
The first condition is that PEMF be used as an adjunct therapy, or a therapy used in conjunction with more traditional intervention methods.
The second condition is the exact nature of the injury or issue being treated, with the most common reason for coverage being persistent ulcers of the legs, feet, and other extremities.
The third condition involves the duration of the issue; in order to Medicare coverage to begin, ulcers must have been present for more than 30 days, despite ongoing efforts to treat the wound.
These specifications are quite narrow in scope, and meeting all qualifications can prove difficult.
Despite Medicare’s stringent rules, PEMF therapy may not be out of reach for people utilizing Medicare coverage.
PEMF therapy is often inexpensive, with many treatment centers offering PEMF sessions for as little as $30-$60, and home machines available for purchase for anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.
Payment plans, used machines, and shared machines can all alleviate some of the cost burden of purchasing a home PEMF machine, and can provide a way to seek PEMF therapy despite a lack of Medicare coverage.
Medicare is often a restrictive form of insurance, and securing coverage for any type of therapy, intervention, or lab test that is not considered essential to survival can prove extremely difficult.
The same is true of PEMF therapy’s interactions with Medicare.
The lack of coverage does not mean that PEMF therapy is of no value to patients using Medicare, nor does it indicate that PEMF therapy is not an effective healing tool.
Many healing tools that have been used for thousands of years—herbs, tinctures, and other natural healing methods—are not covered by insurance, yet are capable of a tremendous amount of healing.
The lack of Medicare coverage can be a roadblock to finding PEMF services, but can also be overcome with private pay options, personal PEMF machines, and ongoing illness that is not responding to treatment.