In the state of Ohio the answer is “Probably Not”.  Direct reimbursement of Music Therapy services happens on a case by case basis and, to my knowledge, has not been successful in Ohio.  The number of successes nationwide is steadily increasing and DBC3 Music Therapy has several claims pending insurance approval here in Ohio (stay tuned).  If your music therapist is a medicaid provider it is possible to use your medicaid waivers for Music Therapy services, however, obtaining a medicaid provider number is not a common occurance for Music Therapists in the state of Ohio.  Medicare, to my knowledge, does not recognize music therapists among their listed providers and so does not reimburse Music Therapy.

My apologies if this seems negative but these are the current realities.  On the positive side there are several entities currently working to make reimbursement more of a reality, both on the state and federal levels.  If you are a potential music therapy client there are 2 things you can do to help get your insurance company to consider reimbursing Music Therapy services; 1) get a letter of medical necessity from your primary physician and 2) call your case manager and tell them you want Music Therapy services.  While this won’t guarantee reimbursement it will place the conversation on the table.