Today, nobody can refer to a new healing system like Reiki simply as another unusual, unorthodox or unconventional form of treatment. This is because each day more and more people are opening themselves to this form of therapy and more and more medical professionals are taking interest in this approach at the same time. There are quite a number of holistic healing schools present alone in the United States today and they are providing all the help possible to the students of medicines interested in this technique. One of the plus points of this system is that this system results in a very few side effects and the chance of relapsing of ailments is often regarded as negligible. (Wardell & Engebretson, 2001) Furthermore, there is huge amount of faith associated with this form of healing and thus it is obvious that Raiki should be treated as an alternate form of medication and should be covered by medical insurance just like any other medical benefits.
Alternative holistic healing systems are a brand of wonderful combinations that include a number of ancient and modern science, semi science and hyper-science all together. This makes it that much acceptable to all section of the people. Some of the better known treatment systems may include yoga, acupuncture or physiotherapy, whereas there are other systems included in this format too like the herbal medicinal treatment or Reiki. Pure science background subjects like reflexology and naturopathy are also a part of these alternative systems and particularly this is true in the context of Reiki. All the process is used in accordance to the need of the patient and with good results too. It is success that counts most in this world and it is the system of Reiki holistic healing that is the success story of the day and under such conditions it should be covered by medical insurance schemes. (Weze & Stevens, 2005)
Furthermore, there are occasions of distrust of towards conventional medications and there are incidents where patients actually restrain themselves from medications due to fear of radiotherapy and similar cancer related treatments. Furthermore, it is also used for the treatment of conditions that are non-malignant in nature too. These applications of Radiotherapy can be enumerated as thyroid in an advanced stage, disease of eye, bone formation under heterotopic conditions, pterygium, scar growth of keloid etc. However, it should be remembered that radiotherapy is not really a treatment that can pass without any side effects or blemish. The major side effects of Radiotherapy are damage of urothelium bowel mucosa, skin and pharyngeal and oral skin problems. Furthermore, edema or swelling is also reported. There is also evidence of infertility due to radiotherapy too. Thus, quite a number of patients are opting out of the conventional medication system and believing alternate medication like biogeneric therapy, where Reiki is an essential element. (Wardell & Engebretson, 2001)
Reiki also includes nutrition, homeopathy, acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and other traditional Chinese medicines with a general concoction of biofeedback. It is reported that this form of healing system is extremely effective on cancer patients too. Under such conditions, it is only obvious to grant Reiki into the parameters of mainstream medication and thus should be covered by medical insurance. (Heelas, 2007) Under such parameters Reiki finds a very important place in medical science and thus it should not be ignored by the insurance agencies and should cover it under medical benefits.
Apart from just Reiki treatment, counseling and effective nursing can help a lot in these conditions of ailments. The Master of Science in Nursing Program and its terminal objectives enables an individual to think theoretically as well as analytically where the individual would be able to investigate in depth in practical and theoretical approach into the area where individual is trained as a specialist. The Master of Science in Nursing Program and its terminal objectives also enables an individual or student in this case, to develop a mind frame where the student would be able to search for a better and enhanced understanding of the profession within the framework of practical approach to the profession and the professional world and Reiki forms a part of it. (Weze & Stevens, 2005)
Another interesting aspect or terminal objective put forward by the Master of Science in Nursing Program is the student’s ability to widen skills of inquisition and knowledge along with comprehension, information, understanding and acquaintance and the intervention of Reiki treatments provides an overall parameter of learning. Here too, it is seen that the authority has recognized the usefulness of Reiki treatment and thus there should be no objection in providing coverage of medical benefits by the insurance companies. (Edwards & Lowis, 2008)
In recent times the spending on health care has been rising at a very fast rate in the US. It has been reported that this expenditure rose at a higher rate than the inflation rate in 2005. This rise was about 7% and the cumulative spending on the issue in that year aggregated up to two trillion dollars. This amount of sum is about one sixth of the total GDP of the US. It has been reported that at this rate the spending on health care would reach 20% of the GDP by 2015. It can be stated that there is a serious issue on the parameters of the costs of health insurance of the employee and the employer. The premium of the employer rose about 8% where as that of the employee rose about 9% during the 2006. During the same time frame the firms that consist of 24 or lower employees had to pay premium at a rate of about 10%. On an individual ground it could be estimated that a worker is paying about $1100 more than he was paying for health insurance back in 2000 for a family coverage.
Thus, it could be said that since 2000 the increase has been scaled to about a 90% higher rate. (Edwards & Lowis, 2008) Thus it can easily be understood the level of difficulty that a worker goes through while paying the annual premium. As a result, it becomes the responsibility of the policy makers to act on the issue and prevent the speedy rise of insurance premium for the benefit of the general mass. It is true that health care policies have tremendous advantages on well being but is this is the price that a common US citizen is paying at the moment then it would be very difficult to ascertain whether to carry on with such policies or just scrap it. For a policy maker it becomes important to enforce a schedule that would let the less earning members of the community to have breathing space by providing them health policies with lower premium margins. (Edwards & Lowis, 2008) Under such circumstances it would be logical to cover Reiki therapy by the insurance agencies as it is comparatively cheap and thus it would be less taxing for the beneficiaries.
However, there is also a counter argument to this approach. As consumers cannot assume that all healthcare professionals and agencies provide quality care, it is important for healthcare consumers, in order to assure that they receive the best possible care, to understand not only what quality healthcare is, but also how to determine if the healthcare they are receiving is quality care. As quality in healthcare can vary for numerous reasons, it is important that both the consumer and the oversight agencies involved have methods by which to measure the quality of healthcare. According to the AHCPR, there are several things the consumer can do when seeking healthcare to locate quality care. AHCPR recommends that consumers consult consumer ratings of healthcare professionals before deciding on a provider. AHCPR suggests that consumers consult ratings such as the Consumer Assessment of Health Plans which measure how well doctors communicate and the overall satisfaction of patients with the healthcare services provided. There are also clinical measures, which are technical methods that determine how well healthcare organizations treat and prevent illnesses. According to AHCPR, clinical methods also examine issues such as safety, efficiency, timeliness of treatment, and scientific effectiveness of treatment. (Heelas, 2007)
Obviously, when consumers seek healthcare, they are putting their health and perhaps their lives in the hands of the healthcare providers; therefore, it is necessary to assure the quality of these agencies. Logically, the best measures of quality should be a combination of both the consumer and the clinical measures. By reviewing consumer ratings and by talking to others who have used a particular provider, consumers can determine if particular healthcare professionals will not only address their medical needs, but also their emotional needs as patients. However, it is equally as important to examine the ratings provided by the experts in clinical measurement as these examine aspects of medical care that are unfamiliar to the lay person.
By familiarizing themselves with both methods, consumers are more likely to receive quality care. Finally, the informed consumer can access the National Health Information Center of the Department of Health and Human Services to view the ratings of healthcare providers and organizations. Not only does this agency give consumers the ability to view consumer and clinical measurements, but also the opportunity to rate their own providers. Thus, a formulation of theory of agency in a hospital setting should be implemented in the context of elasticity principals. Only then a consistent result would come out that would ultimately help the consumer in the end. Opposition to Reiki treatment medical insurance cover indicates that agencies are unable to handle the existing medical coverage with justification and additional burden of Reiki medication coverage would be difficult to handle. (Knupp & Warren, 2009)
However, it could be stated against this counter argument that the charges of Reiki treatment is relatively low and the agencies should be able to handle this. Nevertheless, as a conclusion it should be stated that Reiki as an alternate medication has already proved its effectiveness in healing and people who are not interested in conventional treatments opt for Reiki. Master of Science in Nursing Program also backs this form of medication and thus its authentication is guaranteed. It is also comparatively cheap. Thus, it is obvious that this form of medication should be covered by medical insurance agencies.
References
Edwards, A.C. & Lowis, M.J. (2008). Construction and validation of a scale to assess attitudes to mysticism: the need for a new scale for research in the psychology of religion. Spirituality and Health International, 9(1), 16-31.
Heelas, P. (2007). Nursing spirituality. Spirituality and Health International, 7(1), 8-23.
Knupp, H.M. & Warren, S (2009). The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by Canadian occupational therapists. Occupational Therapy International, 16(1), 6-24.
Wardell, D.W. & Engebretson, J. (2001). Biological correlates of Reiki Touch healing. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 33(4), 439-445.
Weze, C & Stevens, G. (2005). Healing by gentle touch in musculoskeletal disorders. Spirituality and Health International, 6(4), 200-211.