Why I’m Choosing to End My Insurance Contracts
At Herbs & Hands CranioSacral Therapy, I’m committed to providing personalized, transformative care that is rooted in CranioSacral Therapy and Naturopathic Medicine. I’ve decided to stop contracting with medical insurance companies—for sustainability and to better serve you. Here’s why:
Recent changes by the insurance companies that have historically paid me the fairest rates are making providing care to you untenable for me. Please note that they have unilaterally changed their contracts and rules, leaving me with no recourse in the matter other than to no longer agree to accept their terms.
CareOregon will be phasing out out-of-network coverage effective October 1, 2025. This means after the end of this month, I will no longer be able to bill CareOregon for services, as they are not offering me a contract.
Providence has moved the management of all of its alternative health coverage to ASH (American Specialty Health) effective September 1, 2025. This means that your care will need to undergo a medical necessity review before we can bill your insurance moving forward. They have also cut their reimbursement rates for naturopathic medical services.
Regence BlueCross has consolidated many of its plans and decreased its reimbursement rates for all alternative medicine services.
Due to these changes, I must terminate contracts with all insurance companies at year-end. Reimbursement rates for naturopathic care are significantly lower than those for other providers despite the additional time and work we dedicate to each visit, making it challenging to maintain quality care while sustaining my practice.
I need to earn at least $110 an hour to sustain my practice, cover my overhead, and receive fair compensation for my training and expertise. With these new changes, my average reimbursement for insurance visits dips well below this threshold, as the above insurance contracts were pulling up my average reimbursement from other insurance companies, which will remain unnamed.
The challenges with insurance make it unsustainable for me to continue this work for the long term.
While I hope for change, current trends show things are getting harder, and decades-long efforts to pass pay parity bills through the Oregon legislature haven’t succeeded, despite strong support.
On the Plus Side, Removing Insurance from the Equation Offers Some Real Benefits for Us Both:
1. Freedom to Focus on You
Insurance companies impose numerous rules, paperwork, and limitations. It often feels like I'm working for their policies, not your health. Without insurance, I can focus entirely on you—your body, your story, your healing—without worrying about what’s covered. This means no surprise bills, no saying treatment for your issues isn’t "medically necessary," and no stress about proving you need care.
2. More Time for Meaningful Care
Insurance often limits session time, sets strict treatment plan restrictions, and applies a “one-size-fits-all” approach. This doesn’t align with naturopathic and CranioSacral Therapy, where personalized care is most important. Without these limits, I can spend more quality time with you and create a treatment tailored to your specific needs.
3. Transparency & Simplicity
Navigating insurance billing can be confusing, frustrating, and time-consuming for everyone involved. I want Herbs & Hands to be a place where simple is the rule of the day. No surprises in billing, no denied claims—just transparent, straightforward pricing and open conversations about your care.
4. Empowering Personal Responsibility
Choosing to work outside insurance helps you control your health costs. Paying directly makes you more aware and confident in your wellness choices. I don’t provide primary care or prescribe many medicines, supplements, or tests, so my work doesn’t fit well with medical insurance, and I don’t pad my earnings through selling products.
After years of feeling undervalued, I need to honor my skills, the time and money I have invested to earn them, the time and money it takes to maintain them, and the time it has taken from my family. The current insurance system renders this impossible, and advocacy efforts for fair pay have thus far been unsuccessful. It’s time I take responsibility for this and my career trajectory.
5. Keeping the Magic in the Medicine
Insurance bureaucracy often drains the joy and creativity out of healthcare, overshadowing what should be a nurturing experience with never-ending, unpaid, and tedious chores. By reclaiming control over how I practice, I’m able to keep the entire process grounded in care, truly holistic, and genuinely healing—because helping people on their journey to wellness should never be scripted or robotic.
What Does This Mean for You?
If you use insurance, this change might take some getting used to. But I’m here to guide you through it. Many clients find paying directly for CranioSacral Therapy and Naturopathic care gives a better, more personal experience.
Your health deserves more than just paperwork—it deserves genuine care and a touch of magic. That’s what I’ll keep giving.
I’ll also continue to offer sliding scale discounts for those who need them and maintain fair prices.
Thank you for trusting me on this journey toward more mindful, empowered, and fulfilling health care. Together, we can nurture real change—one person at a time. I am honored to be a part of your healing journey, and I am excited for what the future holds as we continue this work together.
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To our ongoing health and growth—together!
