You might think I am biased toward thinking that Postnatal Massage is incredible, being that my pseudonymous name on here is .
However, that isn’t true.
I really am a person who examines all the evidence, free from the taint of perspective or philosophy.
I just want the facts, and that’s it.
In other words, if Postnatal Massage were not something amazing, I wouldn’t be practicing this modality, I’d be doing something else, like teaching or working at an organization that helps people, places where they serve struggling families in the community. Or something of value to others.
Why I Entitled This Piece As I Chose To
So, then, the title of this piece is “If Insurance Doesn’t Cover Postnatal Massage, Is It Then A Luxury, Rather Than Necessity?” and this immediately sets the tone for where I’m going with this particular contribution.
So many women think of Postnatal Massage as a luxury, including those from communities that traditionally value Postnatal Massage, like India and China.
Sometimes a woman may require ten sessions and only books five. Or six.
The Issue With Insurers Is…Many Do Not Cover Massage
The issue in some cases is the perception that if the insurance doesn’t cover the Massage Therapy in their case, then having a session must be a mere luxury.
This is incorrect thinking; many more health care plans do not cover Therapeutic Massage than do right now, across all the carriers.
And so, many women who might otherwise qualify for health care cost reimbursement from their health Care Insurance Carrier, do not, simply because their particular plan excludes this as a possibility.
Is There A Point To Even Try Once They Said No?
Can a patient argue with their insurer?
Of course, however, you must have a written prescription for a diagnosed health condition that you physician thinks that an LMT might address better than any other health care provider could.
Some patient get somewhere, unfortunately most do not.
Exceptions can be made, however, your case must be solid and the insurers only make exceptions when their boards deem the case a medical necessity.
Not Getting Coverage for Postnatal Massage Doesn’t Make It A Luxury
So, depending upon whether a patient’s employer has chosen particular heath case plan with a particular provider, or the patients themselves have chosen a plan from a larger set of plans and different insurance companies, you may end up with a plan that covers Therapeutic Massage, or a plan that does not.
If you or your spouse is at the crossroads and getting a new job with a new plan, or just having the opportunity to update or change in the near future, consider a plan that covers Therapeutic Massage.
As this is arbitrary, it’s hardly an indicator of whether Postnatal Massage is a luxury or not.
April Spending: Clothing: $3,400; Lunch Dates $2,100; Lattes: $550; Massage: $220
It’s strange how the family will spend $150,000 on a new car, but start acting frugally when the matter concern’s the new Mom”s well-being and healing after having carried a baby and is usually breastfeeding?
People spend a lot for parties. They spend a lot for cars and vacations.
They spurge on new handbags they acquired in Milan or Paris on Brooklyn.
Their four-year-old daughters usually wear the best in toddler clothing, top-of-the-line brands that are not cheap, by any comparison.
They know how to live the good life, in other words.
It boggles my mind how these same women often skimp on themselves and do not get the number of sessions they needed to feel better and recover more completely.
What’s the underlying cause?
I Love Prada. So, I Pay More Gladly. Not So With Massage, Apparently?
Somehow, people just don’t value Therapeutic Massage as much as they value a Prada bag or a bespoke jumper for their daughter at family celebrations for the holidays.
Postnatal women often skimp when it comes top spending on themselves, having a perception that it’s a luxury.
Perplexing that these same women live a life of luxury, really. Self-care for women is something women are made to feel badly about.
This seems to be a pattern, and it’s very sad to witness.
The Car Detailing Guy Gives Me a Clue or One Thousand
There goes the car detailing guy.
He just left after cleaning their cars.
As I left the house from the Postnatal Massage session, he told me that his job is great and he owns his own company and he just made a cool grand at their house.
As I was packing up my portable massage table into my car, he came over and showed me the invoice.
“I know you thought I was lying. Here is the proof. Don’t let them pay less than you need to make; you aint’ running a charity I assume!”
He then walked away. I was confused as to why he did this, but then I realized he had heard the lady asking me for another discount while I was leaving and he was still in the driveway packing up.
What Is The Meaning Of This?
I felt weird. What was he trying to do?
I felt like I was being used. And, it upset me greatly, as I felt that the new Mom and myself had developed a good rapport, even talking about shopping and all kinds of stuff, topics she chose to begin conversing about.
Here I was giving them a discount, and they weren’t even going to get the full number of sessions in their package.
And, then there’s this guy.
They gladly pay a person to clean their cars every month, right in their driveway, for a thousand dollars each month.
Why Skimp on Vital Self-Care?
Clearly, Therapeutic Massage is undervalued.
That is the equivalent to roughly five 90-minute Postnatal Massage sessions in the home.
Of course, every woman and family has the right to their own ideas about financial management.
Some feel that any out-of-pocket costs are never worthwhile, and should be kept to a minimum.
The family I write about clearly had the funds to pay for the full number of sessions the women required, and really, it’s perplexing why she’d chose to be so cheap about getting sessions when her last soiree with old college friends cost her family a cool $5,000. A backyard brunch with two live bands, a pizza truck, catered ethnic food, kids’ entertainment, ten LMTs, and that was just for fun.
Believe me, they have the money.
What’s Underling This Attitude Toward Postnatal Massage?
So why do women still feel that spending on self-care isn’t important?
The answer lies in the perceptions about massage, really.
There are people out there who will charge, roughly, half of what a licensed Massage Therapist might.
Unfortunately, these women are often unlicensed and sometimes create issues, rather than solving them, if online accounts have any merit.
Prada Is Not The Same As K-Mart
Postnatal Massage from an unlicensed “auntie” is nothing like Postnatal Massage from a licensed Massage Therapist.
You’re certainly not going to receive the same grade of service.
Kind of like how some women I know will travel four towns over to a super-stylish hair place and spend a small fortune, because they feel that their appearance is worth the cash.
They could have gone to any number of other hair stylists in a radius of twenty miles and spent less.
However, they want to go to a stylist with a name, a guy who has styled the hair of Duchesses and famous celebrities.
Know that a person without a license or insurance is not the same as an LMT with Postnatal Training, specifically.
An LMT without such advanced training is not really suitable to work with the postnatal population.
Yes; there is a lot to know. A LOT.
