 Naturopathic care offers a holistic and unique approach to healthcare that promotes your body’s inherent abilities to heal and nurture itself. It centers around redirecting your nutrition, lifestyle, and health practices to help nurture hormonal balance, gut health, and the connection between the ecosystems inside the body that make it function optimally. Unfortunately, naturopathic care is currently not fully covered by many insurance companies or even considered a tax-deductible medical expense, making it difficult to enjoy its full services without having to pay the full price. The letter of medical necessity (LMN), however, is a tool written by your allopathic (conventional) doctor that can possibly help secure insurance reimbursements, allow the use of FSA or HSA funds, or provide medical tax deductions for availing yourself of naturopathic services as a form of a health-related expense. What Is a Letter of Medical Necessity?A letter of medical necessity is a type of healthcare documentation that you can ask from your healthcare provider for a specific healthcare service to be considered for funding by insurance companies, FSA/HSA funds, or medical tax deductions.1 This emphasizes that the service or care given is medically necessary for the patient, hence he/she can be eligible for funding or monetary support. A health approach or procedure is considered a medical necessity when not performing it may mean the patient will have a greater chance of suffering from a deterioration in one’s health or will continue to suffer from a less-than-normal state of health.1 A letter of medical necessity is written by your licensed healthcare provider. If your provider determines it is medically necessary, they can write LMN’s for services such as naturopathic medical consulting, personal trainers, acupuncture, and more! How a Letter of Medical Necessity Supports Tax DeductionsHaving your insurance support your decision to avail yourself of naturopathic care services for your health problem can be very challenging, especially since the majority of the healthcare coverage offered by insurance companies are limited to allopathic or conventional treatments. The good news is that the naturopathic services you desire may be considered as a tax-deductible medical care expense through a letter of medical necessity. Medical care expenses that are able to receive this type of tax exemption include payments to diagnose, cure, treat, prevent, or mitigate diseases or problems with any body structure or function, or to provide personal health education. Here’s the full list of eligible medical services for tax deductions. Since naturopathy utilizes standard medical assessments and procedures and use these to manage disease conditions with natural approaches such as personal health education, nutrition, counseling, botanical medicine, lifestyle counseling, mind-body therapies, and natural childbirth, naturopathic services are medically necessary expenses that can be tax-deductible with a LMN. Talk to your doctor about your rights for utilizing naturopathic services and check with your insurance company or FSA/HSA administrator about your eligibility and their process for reimbursement and coverage. A little bit of effort on your part can prevent bureaucratic issues in the future and open up a world of alternative medicine deductions and holistic care tax benefits while exploring the wonders of naturopathic medicine. What is Inside a Letter of Medical NecessityBecause a letter of medical necessity centers around the explanation and description of your healthcare provider on the different medical services, supplies, or equipment used for your optimal health, a list of prescribed services or equipment, medical explanation and rationale highlighting the connection between utilizing such tools for your condition, and evidence of a physical assessment should be included in your requested LMN. For example, if you are experiencing hormone imbalances, your endocrinologist or primary care provider could write a LMN citing a need for naturopathic medical consulting on the grounds that we provide personalized health education, and support optimal hormone levels through the use of nutrition, lifestyle, and botanical medicine. Steps to Obtain a Letter of Medical NecessityA letter of medical necessity can be obtained through your licensed medical provider. You simply tell them your preference for naturopathic care and ask them to provide an LMN in support. After evaluating your health condition and concerns, your licensed provider will document their assessment of the need, emphasizing the need for naturopathic medical consulting to be considered for insurance coverage or tax exemptions. Click here to learn more about the coverage of LMNs. Don’t forget to renew your LMN yearly to maximize tax savings and save money on naturopathic care! At Natural Path to Wellness, your team of naturopathic medical advisors are committed to helping you discover the best natural and holistic options for your optimal health. We will guide you through every step of the natural path, helping you nurture your health without breaking your budget. Talk to us today!
This article is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult your licensed naturopathic physician or other licensed healthcare provider before making changes to your medications or supplements. Disclosures & Policies: This and other blog posts may contain affiliate links. Please view our disclosures page for more information. REFERENCES:
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THE BLOG AT NATURAL PATH TO WELLNESSAuthorSNatural Path to Wellness values community education and welcomes contributions from writers with a background in Naturopathic Medicine, natural health and wellness, herbalism, homeopathy, Nature Cure, and more. Disclosures & Policies: This and other blog posts may contain affiliate links. Please view our disclosures page for more information.
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