“Health insurance” is primarily meant for emergency purposes or to assist in serious, chronic diseases, like cancer or diabetes. It is not synonymous with keeping you healthy, preventing disease, or helping you to feel better if “nothing’s wrong.” The medical+insurance system just isn’t set up for that.

As a result, most insurances do not cover naturopathic, hormonal, or IV services and you should expect that any reimbursement if given will be low.

If you have:

• Kaiser: no reimbursement or coverage for any visits or services. Certain plans, like “Added Choice” may cover outside labs or certain prescriptions.
  
• HMAA: certain plans will have Naturopathic Coverage, where ONLY your visits will be covered and you are responsible for a co-pay. Labs are typically also covered. All other treatments or therapies are not covered.
  
• HMSA: if you have a PPO, you may be able to receive reimbursement for your visit after you submit a superbill directly to HMSA, as Dr. Lopes is a non-participating provider. Labs are generally covered, but be sure to know what your deductible is, as that will be what you are responsible for. If you have a HMO plan, you will need pre-approval before your visit. Your PCP (primary care physician) can help you with that.
  
• UHA: no reimbursement or coverage for any visits or services. Labs are generally covered, but be sure to know what your deductible is, as that will be what you are responsible for.
  
• Mainland Insurances: generally, if you have a mainland insurance, you will need to call your company and specifically ask if any services and labs will be covered if a naturopathic doctor orders it.

The benefit to you of paying cash is that you receive services that you want, can choose the type of therapy and treatment method that is best for you, and your treatment is not dictated by an algorithm derived from ICD-10 diagnosis codes or time allocated. It puts you in the driver’s seat of your health.