PEBB covers NDs but not their services...?!?

The Public Employee Benefits Board has become a "self-insured" employer and is using Providence to administer its plan. Under the new plan NDs are covered (as they have been) but the actual services that Providence will pay for have been severely limited. Despite recent gains in the legislature through SB 327 which gained full prescription rights for NDs, they have decided they will not pay for any prescriptions written by NDs, even though they have the same basic education as MDs and DOs. It appears that all the plan will pay for is talking to the doctor, though that is subject to a test of "medical necessity." If you have PEBB insurance coverage, don't plan on getting your naturopathic care covered, but do contract your insurance provider to express you disappointment.

The actual handbook reads as follows:

Effective January 1st, coverage for naturopathic services will exclude the following things:

- Prescription of pharmaceuticals (whether prescription or over-the-counter) and surgery or invasive therapeutic procedures

- Immunizations, vaccinations, injectables, and intravenous infusions (does not include venipuncture for the purpose of obtaining blood samples for laboratory studies)

- Topical and oral drugs, pharmaceuticals, intravenous administered treatments, minor surgery.

- Vaccines or vaccination services, homeopathic products, botanical medicine products

- Dietary and nutritional supplements, including vitamins, minerals, herbs, herbals and herbal products, injectable supplements and injection services, or other similar products

- Natural childbirth services