Your editorial“Veto naturopath licensing bill’’ (Jan. 7) assumes that health insurance coverage for naturopaths would increase health care costs, but I’m not sure that’s true.

I have chronic pain in my knees, and it is a strange irony to me that my private insurer will pay for surgery or knee replacement but will not pay for a highly trained muscle therapist who could help me avoid the surgery.

Modern medicine and alternative treatments can and should work together. Good naturopaths can offer an inexpensive and noninvasive alternative to a medical doctor’s treatment. Or, as in the case of acupuncture for chemotherapy patients, alternative treatments can beautifully offset negative effects of necessary medical treatments.

Cutting naturopaths out of the insurance market ensures that only the wealthy can afford alternative care. I believe that putting alternative care out of reach of lower-income people ultimately sends more patients to the emergency room. That can’t be good for health care costs.

Nell Foote

Roxbury