Massage therapy is ready to become a standard part of healthcare. As massage therapists, we can play a very big part in overcoming the Opioid epidemic as well as being a part of healthcare in general for rehabilitation from injuries and surgeries. Massage therapy is also best used for helping ease depression and anxiety and many of the physical issues associated with those conditions. Massage therapy can be used to ease the pain and distress of pregnancy, headaches, insomnia and many more health issues. Racism is also now being listed as a public health issue.
Getting massage therapy covered by health insurance is way overdue. The lack of advocacy and support in this arena is beyond mind boggling. 2010 came and went with the creation of the Affordable Care Act and the massage profession failed to act on the provisions that would allow massage therapists to become part of healthcare and billing health insurance for medically necessary massage therapy.
WA State has been the leader in this area, being able to bill health insurance since about 1990 after a long battle occurred between the health insurance carriers and the insurance commissioner, Deborah Senn who created the Every Category Law.