A study published in Archives of Internal Medicine (2004;164:1985–1992) examined whether access to chiropractic care was associated with differences in overall healthcare costs. Back pain is one of the most common reasons for physician visits and hospitalization, with estimated annual costs approaching $100 billion.
The researchers analyzed healthcare expenditure data over a four-year period from approximately 1.7 million health plan members. Of these, about 700,000 individuals had coverage for chiropractic services, while roughly 1,000,000 did not. Annual healthcare expenditures were compared between the two groups.
Members with chiropractic coverage had lower average annual healthcare costs than those without such coverage. The mean yearly cost for individuals with chiropractic coverage was $1,463, compared with $1,671 for individuals without chiropractic coverage.
The authors concluded that access to chiropractic care was associated with reduced overall healthcare expenditures. They suggested several possible reasons for this difference, including the substitution of chiropractic care for more expensive medical interventions in spine-related conditions and greater use of conservative, minimally invasive treatment approaches among those with chiropractic access.
