Sliding Scale Acupuncture
building community. Same care. same private treatment room setting.
Class and economic justice are topics that lots of people struggle to talk about because most of us aren’t educated in schools or the culture at large to talk about money, access to resources, and what class actually is…
Class, of course, can’t be understood as an isolated experience, but is part of the complex interactions of race, gender, ability, privilege, sexuality, and the myriad of identities we all hold.
Sliding scale is a great way to begin a conversation about class because it frames the discussion from the standpoint of access.
Offering a sliding scale for my services comes from a desire to create multiple financial access points for people to receive care through the lens of East Asian medicine – people who would most likely be “priced out” now have the chance to take part in the East Asian medical care that we offer at Raven & Wren Wellness.
This is our commitment to serving individuals in our community that would otherwise not be able to afford our acupuncture services.
For a sliding scale to work it relies on the principles of truthfulness, respect for complexity, and accountability. I do not ask for income verification – I trust my patients to be honest. Community thrives when accountability is a central value, because that is where trust grows and depth work can be done.
Consider the idea of “sacrifice” vs. “hardship” when examining access – if paying for care at Raven & Wren Wellness would be difficult, but not detrimental, it qualifies as a sacrifice. As a sacrifice, you might have to cut back on other spending in your life (such as going out to dinner, buying fancy coffees, or that new outfit), but this will not have a long term harmful impact on your life.
If, however, paying for our services would lead to a harmful impact on your life, such as not being able to put food on the table, pay rent, or pay for your transportation to get to work, then you are dealing with hardship. People coming from a space of hardship typically qualify for the lower end of the sliding scale.
As a small business, Raven & Wren Wellness, doesn’t receive any outside funding to supplement our sliding scale discounts. For this reason, in determining our sliding scale, I must take into account what I am able to offer and still be able to support my family.
Here is general guideline on how we price our sliding scale - please use it to help you determine where you fall on it.
TOP TIER
The Top Tier reflects the true cost of a session. It is the cost that we charge in the absence of a sliding scale. If you have access to financial security, own property or have personal savings, you would not traditionally qualify for sliding scale services. If you are able to pay for “wants” and spend little time worried about securing necessities in your life, you have economic privilege and power in our community. This price is for you. ($225/new patient acupuncture session; $135/ follow-up session)
Note: Because of the legal intricacies of combining a sliding scale with insurance billing, if you require a Superbill for reimbursement, you must pay at the top tier for services.
Middle tier
The Middle Tier reflects Raven & Wren’s acknowledgement that paying the full cost would prevent you from being able to receive care, but you don’t honestly find yourself reflected in either descriptions for the highest cost or the lowest cost. If you have access to steady income and aren’t spending most of your time thinking about meeting basic needs such as food, shelter, medical care, and child care, you belong here. ($175/new patient acupuncture session; $105/ follow-up session)
Bottom tier
The Bottom Tier reflects an acknowledgment by Raven & Wren Wellness that economic circumstances would prevent you from receiving our care if a deliberate opportunity to access services didn’t exist. If you struggle to maintain access to needs such as other health care, housing, food, child care, and are living paycheck to paycheck, you probably belong here and you deserve a community that honors your price as equal an economic offering as the person who can pay the highest tier. ($125/new patient acupuncture session; $75/ follow-up session)
Even when the lowest tier is still prohibitive, I will work with folks to offer other solutions. Email: hello@ravenandwrenwellness.com
There are a limited number of slots for acupuncture services, offered at the middle and lower end of the scale.
Please be mindful that if you purchase care at the lowest end of the scale when you can truthfully afford the higher end, you are limiting access to those who truly need the gift of financial flexibility.
Being honest with yourself and your financial situation when engaging with sliding scale practices is personally empowering, and grows strong and sustainable communities. It also respects my work, and the fact that I have a family to support. Additionally, when I am paid fairly, I am able to invest more time and resources to free and lower cost offerings.
Right now, we are able to offer sliding scale acupuncture sessions on Mondays. If this offering is successful, we will add a second day of the week. Help us kick it off by sharing with your friends, family, co-workers, and other members of your community – make your community, OUR community.