Does Medicare cover chiropractors?

Medicare covers one chiropractic service: manual manipulation of the spine to correct a subluxation. A subluxation is a spine joint that does not move the way it should, even though the bones still touch.

• Covered: adjustments done by hand, or with a small hand-held tool called an activator. Medicare pays nothing extra for the tool.
• Not covered: X-rays or other tests a chiropractor orders or takes.
• Not covered: massage, heat, ultrasound, exercise, supplements, or acupuncture from a chiropractor.
• Not covered: adjustments to areas outside the spine, like the jaw, arms, legs, or ribs.

Medicare pays for one adjustment visit a day. Chiropractors bill it as codes 98940, 98941, or 98942, based on how many parts of the spine they treat.

In short: spine adjustments, yes. Almost everything else at the chiropractor, no.

Your chiropractor must show that you have a subluxation. They can do it two ways:

• An X-ray taken no more than 12 months before, or 3 months after, your care starts. An X-ray is not required.
• A physical exam that finds at least two of these: pain or tenderness, a spine that is out of line, joints that move too much or too little, or changes in the muscles and skin nearby. One of the two must be the spine out of line or the joint movement problem.

Saying you have pain is not enough. The chiropractor must name the exact spot in your spine. They must also write a treatment plan. It lists how often you will come, your goals, and how they will measure your progress.

Medicare pays only for active treatment. That is care that is expected to help you get better. It covers new injuries, and flare-ups of old problems that make daily life hard.

Once your progress levels off, Medicare calls the care maintenance therapy. That is care to keep you where you are or to stop you from getting worse. Medicare does not cover it, even if it makes you feel better.

Chiropractors mark active treatment on the claim with a code called the AT modifier. If it is not there, Medicare treats the visit as maintenance and denies it.

If your chiropractor thinks Medicare will not pay, they should ask you to sign an Advance Beneficiary Notice before the visit. Signing it means you agree to pay if Medicare says no.

In short: Medicare pays while you are getting better, not to keep you feeling good.

Once you meet the $283 Part B deductible for 2026, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for each covered adjustment. Medicare pays the rest.

• Other services at the same visit: you pay all costs for them.
• Maintenance visits: you pay all costs.
• An X-ray your regular doctor orders to check your spine is covered under the usual Part B rules. One your chiropractor orders is not.
• If you have a Medigap plan: every plan pays some or all of your 20% share for covered adjustments.
• If you have Medicare Advantage: your plan sets its own copay. Some plans add extra visits or services. Check your plan's Evidence of Coverage.

1. Pick a chiropractor who takes Medicare. You can search on Medicare.gov. Ask if they accept assignment, so they take Medicare's approved amount as full payment.
2. Ask what will be billed to Medicare. Ask which parts of the visit you will pay for in full.
3. Ask about your treatment plan. It should list goals and how often you will come.
4. Watch for the ABN form. If they hand you one, the care may be maintenance. Read it before you sign.
5. If Medicare says no, appeal. Your Medicare Summary Notice explains how.