Dr. Lee’s Note on Health Insurance

Unfortunately, as a provider who has been in-network with these payors since 2017, reimbursement rates have stayed the same, meaning there have been $0 increases in the past 8 years. Dr. Lee has requested a reimbursement increase every year, but is denied due network availability being saturated in the bay area.

Basically, the health plans say that because there are more than enough in-network acupuncture providers in the area, they do not feel it necessary to increase reimbursments as it is a competitive market. A reminder, that reimbursements or payment to the clinic can be as low as $40 for an hour of treatment, which is not sustainable to pay staff, providers, and rent in one of the most expensive cities in the United States.

The decision to go out of network with these plans rest on economic factors in 2025 as well as evaluating his current patient base. However, this will not effect other providers within Box Acupuncture and we would still be able to bill these payers at an out of network rate if patients continue to be treated by Dr. Lee.

We will update everyone once the decision is made which would be in late Summer/Fall of 2025 and will go into effect 1/1/2026. This is not a decision that he takes lightly.