Why I Choose 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 it untenable for me to provide care to you. Please note that they have unilaterally changed their contracts and rules, leaving me with no recourse in the matter other than to refuse to accept their terms.
Due to these changes, I have terminated contracts with all insurance companies. Reimbursement rates for naturopathic care are significantly lower than those for other providers, despite the additional time and effort we devote to each visit, making it challenging to maintain quality care while sustaining my practice. Some NDs continue to contract with insurance and find other ways to supplement their income, such as through supplement sales, shorter patient visits, or laboratory markups, but that will not work for the care I deliver.
I need to earn at least $110 an hour to sustain my practice, pay my student loan bills, and have some take-home pay at the end of the day. My average reimbursement for insurance visits dips well below this threshold.
The challenges with insurance make it unsustainable for me to continue this work in the long term, and I do not want to turn away from the career I have devoted my life to.
While I have held out 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. What does this divorce from insurance contracts mean for our care moving forward?
1. Freedom to Focus on You
Insurance companies impose numerous rules, paperwork, and limitations. It often felt like I was 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 being told treatment for your issues isn’t "medically necessary," and no stress about proving you need care or that the work I provided meets the approval of a failing medical system.
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, listen, 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 medications, supplements, or tests, so my work doesn’t align well with medical insurance, and I don’t pad my earnings by 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 further 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 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. If you have out-of-network coverage, you can use the superbills I provide via ChARM or by email to submit your own claims for reimbursement.
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 story, and I am excited for what the future holds as we continue this work together.
/|\
To our ongoing health and growth—together!
Dr. Currey
