Medicare moving toward covering acupuncture for back pain

WASHINGTON (AP) — Medicare says it’s moving toward potentially covering acupuncture for chronic low back pain as an alternative to opioid painkillers that can become addictive.
The agency announced its initial decision Monday. For now, access will be limited to seniors signed up in government-approved clinical studies. Medicare says more evidence is needed before broad approval can be considered.
A cornerstone of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture is believed to be thousands o