Dysphagia Therapy

Aetna covers speech therapy for dysphagia only when the member meets specific criteria — weight loss or malnutrition due to dysphagia, history/high risk of recurrent aspiration or choking, or inability to swallow with nasogastric/gastrostomy tube dependence — and also covers esophageal dilation for symptomatic esophageal obstruction. Interventions considered experimental/investigational and not covered include acupuncture, biodegradable stents, drug‑eluting stents for esophageal strictures (malignant or benign), electrical/neuromuscular/pharyngeal stimulation, and dysphagia therapy for indications other than those listed.

"Intensive Dysphagia Rehabilitation: promising small case-series/case-series results but authors state further investigation is needed before wide application."

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