Does private health insurance cover acupuncture?

Yup, private health isurance can cover acupuncture in Australia, under extras. You'll have a yearly benefit limit, which is often a combined limit with other 'natural therapies', possibly along with other treatmeants like physio or chiropracty. There's typically a 2-month waiting period before you claim - although there are a handful of extras policies with no waiting period on acupuncture.

Does acupuncture work?

The research shows that acupuncture may be effective for certain conditions, particularly pain relief. That being said, more research is needed to fully understand its benefits. It's worth noting that the Aussie government did a pretty comprehensive review of natural therapies on private health insurance a few years back and acupuncture made it through. That's a good thing for its effectiveness. It's generally safe when performed by a licensed practitioner.