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Epoch Times, April 20, 2006 (Central News Agency correspondent Lin Yuli, Berlin) - Traditional Chinese medical therapies such as acupuncture have become increasingly popular in Germany in recent years, though most patients still have to pay out of pocket. After years of debate, the German medical community and health insurance companies have finally decided that, due to the proven efficacy of acupuncture in clinical trials, health insurance will now cover the costs of acupuncture treatments for chronic back pain and knee pain.
The efficacy of acupuncture has long been a contentious topic in Germany. Since 2001, major German insurance companies have funded a 300 million euro annual clinical trial, commissioning acupuncturists nationwide to compare the effectiveness of acupuncture with modern medical treatments for cyclical pain. This is touted as the largest clinical acupuncture research project in the world.
The results of the trial showed that for chronic back pain and knee pain, there was little difference in efficacy between acupuncture at specific points and deliberately chosen non-acupoint locations, but both were more effective in reducing pain compared to conventional treatments. As for headaches, the difference in efficacy between acupuncture and modern medicine was minimal.
A committee composed of German medical institutions, doctors, and health insurance companies regularly convenes to jointly decide on the items covered by health insurance, affecting the medical rights of 90% of the population. However, the decision to cover acupuncture costs comes with a caveat: patients must have suffered from severe back pain or knee pain for at least six months.
Source: http://www. epochtimes. com/ b5/ 4/ 11/ 11/ n714308. htm
For the first time, Germany has recognized acupuncture in traditional Chinese medicine as a formal therapy, and statutory health insurance companies are required to cover the costs of acupuncture treatments. However, this decision has not sparked cheers among many acupuncture enthusiasts in Germany. For them, the decision is long overdue and too limited.
According to Deutsche Welle, this regulation only applies to patients suffering from chronic back pain and chronic knee pain, and the pain must have persisted for more than six months before statutory insurance companies will cover the costs. Additionally, the doctors performing acupuncture must have graduated from university and completed comprehensive pain therapy training, meaning acupuncture is just one of the methods they can use. Patients with headaches, hip pain, or elbow pain must pay out of pocket for acupuncture treatments.
After a six-year pilot program, the Federal Joint Committee, the most important self-governing body in Germany's healthcare sector composed of doctors and health insurance companies, finally made the above decision. During the pilot period, health insurance companies funded acupuncture treatments for hundreds of thousands of patients by approximately 10,000 doctors across Germany. For many insured individuals in Germany, acupuncture is now part of the standard insurance coverage in the competitive health insurance market. Therefore, the chairman of the Federal Joint Committee, Heß, expressed slight disappointment, stating, "Overall, the current decision has increased restrictions."
However, the Federal Joint Committee's decision-making process is not driven by the insured's desire for trendy therapies but rather by the effectiveness of the treatment. The accompanying research results from the pilot period showed that the outcomes of acupuncture treatment were comparable to those of sham acupuncture. However, the chairman of the German Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine Association, Germann, questions the design of the pilot project. He believes that sham acupuncture could also have an effect.
This might explain the main conclusion of the Federal Joint Committee's pilot study, which found that both accurate and sham acupuncture methods were more effective than standard Western medical treatments, at least for knee pain and back pain. However, Germann is puzzled by the restrictions on these two areas. He asked, "Why can acupuncture relieve knee pain but not hip pain?" As for the pilot study's finding that acupuncture is as effective as standard Western treatments for migraines and tension headaches, Germann finds it completely incomprehensible. The German Federal Consumer Association also believes that this decision represents a "step backward in the diversity of pain therapy."
Ultimately, the decision lies with the German Federal Ministry of Health, which has stated that it will carefully review the Federal Joint Committee's decision. Stupar, representing the interests of health insurance companies in the Federal Joint Committee, also expressed regret over the exclusion of migraines. However, he predicts that after more testing phases in the coming years, acupuncture may gain recognition in more areas.
Germany's largest corporate health insurance company, BKK, has announced that it will include acupuncture treatments for chronic back pain and chronic knee pain in its regular coverage. Until now, they had only covered these costs within the scope of the pilot project. BKK's president, Schütz, welcomed the Federal Joint Committee's decision. He explained, "Many insured individuals have already experienced the benefits of acupuncture for their conditions. Therefore, it is a good thing that these patients no longer have to revert to traditional Western treatments. The priority now is to ensure the quality of acupuncture treatment within the framework of pain therapy."
However, Schütz also expressed deep regret over the exclusion of acupuncture for chronic headaches and hay fever from the coverage standards. From the patients' perspective, he finds this decision incomprehensible, as acupuncture has shown special efficacy for these conditions as well.Suyouci proposed that for these two groups of patients, the existing pilot project should not be interrupted but continued until the originally planned year of 2009, in order to collect more data.
(Huasheng News)
Source: http:/ / 61. 129. 65. 26:82/ gate/ ……e146/ userobject1ai10528. html
Germany Expands Insurance Coverage for Acupuncture in Chronic Pain Treatment
The efficacy of acupuncture has long been a contentious topic in Germany. Since 2001, major German insurance companies have funded a 300 million euro annual clinical trial, commissioning acupuncturists nationwide to compare the effectiveness of acupuncture with modern medical treatments for cyclical pain. This is touted as the largest clinical acupuncture research project in the world.
The results of the trial showed that for chronic back pain and knee pain, there was little difference in efficacy between acupuncture at specific points and deliberately chosen non-acupoint locations, but both were more effective in reducing pain compared to conventional treatments. As for headaches, the difference in efficacy between acupuncture and modern medicine was minimal.
A committee composed of German medical institutions, doctors, and health insurance companies regularly convenes to jointly decide on the items covered by health insurance, affecting the medical rights of 90% of the population. However, the decision to cover acupuncture costs comes with a caveat: patients must have suffered from severe back pain or knee pain for at least six months.
Source: http://www. epochtimes. com/ b5/ 4/ 11/ 11/ n714308. htm
Growing Acceptance of Acupuncture in Germany
According to Deutsche Welle, this regulation only applies to patients suffering from chronic back pain and chronic knee pain, and the pain must have persisted for more than six months before statutory insurance companies will cover the costs. Additionally, the doctors performing acupuncture must have graduated from university and completed comprehensive pain therapy training, meaning acupuncture is just one of the methods they can use. Patients with headaches, hip pain, or elbow pain must pay out of pocket for acupuncture treatments.
After a six-year pilot program, the Federal Joint Committee, the most important self-governing body in Germany's healthcare sector composed of doctors and health insurance companies, finally made the above decision. During the pilot period, health insurance companies funded acupuncture treatments for hundreds of thousands of patients by approximately 10,000 doctors across Germany. For many insured individuals in Germany, acupuncture is now part of the standard insurance coverage in the competitive health insurance market. Therefore, the chairman of the Federal Joint Committee, Heß, expressed slight disappointment, stating, "Overall, the current decision has increased restrictions."
However, the Federal Joint Committee's decision-making process is not driven by the insured's desire for trendy therapies but rather by the effectiveness of the treatment. The accompanying research results from the pilot period showed that the outcomes of acupuncture treatment were comparable to those of sham acupuncture. However, the chairman of the German Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine Association, Germann, questions the design of the pilot project. He believes that sham acupuncture could also have an effect.
This might explain the main conclusion of the Federal Joint Committee's pilot study, which found that both accurate and sham acupuncture methods were more effective than standard Western medical treatments, at least for knee pain and back pain. However, Germann is puzzled by the restrictions on these two areas. He asked, "Why can acupuncture relieve knee pain but not hip pain?" As for the pilot study's finding that acupuncture is as effective as standard Western treatments for migraines and tension headaches, Germann finds it completely incomprehensible. The German Federal Consumer Association also believes that this decision represents a "step backward in the diversity of pain therapy."
Ultimately, the decision lies with the German Federal Ministry of Health, which has stated that it will carefully review the Federal Joint Committee's decision. Stupar, representing the interests of health insurance companies in the Federal Joint Committee, also expressed regret over the exclusion of migraines. However, he predicts that after more testing phases in the coming years, acupuncture may gain recognition in more areas.
Germany's largest corporate health insurance company, BKK, has announced that it will include acupuncture treatments for chronic back pain and chronic knee pain in its regular coverage. Until now, they had only covered these costs within the scope of the pilot project. BKK's president, Schütz, welcomed the Federal Joint Committee's decision. He explained, "Many insured individuals have already experienced the benefits of acupuncture for their conditions. Therefore, it is a good thing that these patients no longer have to revert to traditional Western treatments. The priority now is to ensure the quality of acupuncture treatment within the framework of pain therapy."
However, Schütz also expressed deep regret over the exclusion of acupuncture for chronic headaches and hay fever from the coverage standards. From the patients' perspective, he finds this decision incomprehensible, as acupuncture has shown special efficacy for these conditions as well.Suyouci proposed that for these two groups of patients, the existing pilot project should not be interrupted but continued until the originally planned year of 2009, in order to collect more data.
(Huasheng News)
Source: http:/ / 61. 129. 65. 26:82/ gate/ ……e146/ userobject1ai10528. html