A new opinion piece in STAT highlights a persistent gap in cancer care: integrative therapies—such as acupuncture, massage, and mindfulness—have solid evidence for relieving common treatment side effects like pain, fatigue, anxiety, and nausea. Yet many patients find these services are not covered by insurance, forcing them to pay out of pocket or go without.
The author points to guidelines from major oncology and integrative medicine bodies, including ASCO and SIO, which recommend these therapies as part of standard supportive care. The evidence is not marginal; it is consistent across multiple studies. Still, reimbursement policies have not kept pace, creating a disconnect between what clinicians know works and what patients can actually access.
The piece argues that this is not a question of efficacy but of priorities. If insurers routinely pay for drugs and procedures with far weaker evidence, the reluctance to cover integrative approaches seems less about science and more about cost or inertia. The author calls for a shift in how these therapies are valued, urging payers to follow the data rather than tradition.