GETTING TO THE POINT HMO TO COVER ACUPUNCTURE VISITS.

Byline: Chris Sieroty Staff Writer

WOODLAND HILLS - First it was banning smoking in restaurants and bars. Later it was Tae Bo and drinking shots of wheat grass. Now health-conscious Californians want their health plans to offer herbal supplements and acupuncture along with regular doctor visits.

To accommodate their 2 million California members, Woodland Hills-based Health Net announced Thursday that it will begin offering HMO-style coverage of acupuncture service and herbal supplements.

For a small fee - no more than $15 - a Health Net member will be able to visit an acupuncturist to relieve, well, all the things acupuncturists relieve. That same Health Net member will be able to buy supplements for a similarly low co-payment.

Other HMOs have offered limited coverage of acupuncture and herbal supplements, but Health Net's is believed to be the most comprehensive to date.

``We have done our research, which shows there is a demand for these services,'' said Lisa Kalustian, associate vice president of communications and public relations at Health Net.

There's also medical proof. Kalustian said the National Institutes of Health has concluded that acupuncture has been proved to be an effective therapy for a variety of conditions, including lower back pain and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.

In addition to offering discount programs for complementary therapies, as some other health maintenance organizations do, Health Net's acupuncture and herbal supplements coverage allows members with HMO benefits to self-refer to an acupuncture provider for up to a $15 co-payment, depending on the plan.

Laura Diamond, senior media manager with the American Association of Health Plans in Washington, said more and more health plans nationwide are offering some acupuncture benefits but not to the extent of Health Net.

``It varies from plan to plan greatly still,'' Diamond said. ``Employees who want these benefits should ask their health plans or their employer to see if they will purchase them.''

Diamond said if there are enough employees who are willing to pay for an herbal supplements plan, the HMO will provide coverage.

``Consumers need to remember that a lot of alternative treatments are very costly, so it's hard to afford them out of pocket,'' she said.

The cost of these plans to the employer vary, Kalustian said, from about 80 cents per member per month up to about $2.50 per person per month.

``The price depends on whether it's just chiropractic care or combined with acupuncture and herbal,'' Kalustian said.

At Blue Shield of California, members have access to chiropractic and acupuncture benefits depending on their plan, said company spokeswoman Michelle Naiditch.

For 1.2 million Californians with PPO coverage, acupuncture and chiropractic is automatically part of their benefits package, she said.

For HMO plans, it's offered if the employer chooses to purchase the optional acupuncture rider, while Medicare members are offered the plan in a ``complementary benefit'' package for $25 per month.

``Consumers have expressed a strong interest in mind, body and health,'' Naiditch said. ``Our benefits and the discounts available respond to those consumers with the assurance Blue Shield standards for quality are being met.''

Health Net's acupuncture and herbal supplement benefits will be offered as an optional feature to employer groups beginning Aug. 1 with initial effective dates a month later.

The new benefits are available to employers offering Health Net commercial or Medicare HMO benefits, she said. The network of acupuncture providers is maintained by American Specialty Health Plan.

Health Net is a subsidiary of Foundation Health Systems Inc.