We at Serendipity are part of a small, fortunate community that understands the true life-changing potential that massage has. That being said, we fight a constant battle to grow this community and spread the word to as many people as we can. And when you meet opposition from “traditional” medicine, this is quite often a difficult task.

However, recent news has us very excited about the hope that’s on the horizon. The **American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA),** which is our governing body, has recently been leading the charge in bringing our profession to light and gain more widespread acceptance. They’ve been working with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to encourage full inclusion of massage therapy under Medicare Advantage programs. The CMS has taken this a step further by writing letters to all Medicare Advantage programs pushing for **full coverage** by 2020 – as an ideal alternative to opioid-based treatments.

The AMTA is continuing conversations with CMS to get more complete information on the plans that will offer massage therapy coverage for pain in 2019 and in 2020, and will continue to provide updates. You can [read the full article here.](https://www.amtamassage.org/articles/1/News/detail/3917/cms-encourages-medicare-advantage-plans-to-cover-massage-in-2020)

This inclusion under Medicare, and hopefully other health insurance options over the long run, will undoubtedly be a huge moment in bringing massage’s benefits to the masses. Now it’s time to keep surging ahead!