As of April 2019, health insurers will no longer be allowed to offer rebates for naturopathy.
Naturopathy is a type of natural therapy that treats disease naturally and holistically without the use of drugs.
The Australian Government has found naturopathy to be ineffective and has removed the therapy from the list of therapies private health insurers are allowed to cover.
There's nothing stopping an insurer from offering you a few free naturopathy treatments as a type of marketing offer, but your choices will become much slimmer after April 2019.
Is naturopathy covered by health insurance?
Currently, some insurers do cover naturopathy but will no longer do so after April 2019. In fact, some insurers have already started dropping it from their cover in preparation for the reforms.
If yours is one of the policies that still offer it and you want to take advantage of it before the reforms hit, make sure you check your policy details for any restrictions.
Typically the natural therapist must be a licensed practitioner who is registered with the insurer. The naturopath may also need to be a member of an industry group such as the Australian Natural Therapists Association, Naturopathic Practitioners Association or the Australian Traditional Medicine Society.
Contents of this guide
- Can you get health insurance that covers alternative medicine?
- Which health funds cover naturopathy and what are their limits?
- What treatments are considered naturopathic?
- Should you get extras cover for naturopathy?
- What should you be aware of when claiming naturopathy?
- What are the steps for lodging a claim for naturopathy?
- Terms to look out for when comparing health insurance
Can you get health insurance that covers alternative medicine?
Is naturopathy covered by health insurance? Yes, there are many insurers in Australia who cover alternative medicine on their extras policies.
Every extras policy is different so be sure to check what naturopathy therapies are covered and how much you can claim. For example, while one policy might cover the full cost of up to three acupuncture sessions per year, another may cover 90% of your naturopathy costs up to an annual maximum of $2,000.
Also be aware of the restrictions that may apply to naturopathy. Typically the natural therapist must be a licensed practitioner who is registered with the fund. The naturopath may also need to be a member of an industry group such as the Australian Natural Therapists Association, Naturopathic Practitioners Association or the Australian Traditional Medicine Society.
Which health funds cover naturopathy and what are their limits?
The following Australian health insurance providers all offer extras policies which cover naturopathy:
| Health fund | Extras policies and annual benefit limits for naturopathy* | Waiting periods |
|---|---|---|
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| Australian Unity |
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*The policies listed in this table are extras only. However, in most cases these can be combined with hospital cover.
| Health fund | Extras policies and annual benefit limits for naturopathy* | Waiting periods |
|---|---|---|
| ahm |
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| Australian Unity |
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| Bupa |
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| Cessnock District Health Fund |
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| CUA Health |
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| GMHBA |
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| HBF |
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| HCF |
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| Health Care Insurance |
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| health.com.au |
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| hif |
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| Latrobe Health Services |
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| Medibank |
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| Mildura Health Fund |
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| nib |
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| onemedifund |
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| Queensland Country Health Fund |
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| St. Lukes Health |
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| Transport Health |
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| ACA Health |
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| CBHS health fund |
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| Defence Health |
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| Doctors Health Fund |
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| Navy Health |
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| Police Health |
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| Reserve Bank Health Society |
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| RT Health |
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| Teachers Health Fund |
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| TUH |
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*The policies listed in this table are extras only. However, in most cases these can be combined with hospital cover.
What treatments are considered naturopathic?
Some of the more popular alternative therapies covered by health insurance include:
Should you get extras cover for naturopathy?
If you are a frequent user of natural therapies like reflexology or aromatherapy then it can be worth getting extras health insurance. Here are some questions to ask yourself when considering purchasing a policy for these services:
- Do you have any preferred natural remedies? If you do you should check whether those remedies are covered and if there are any limits or restrictions.
- Is there only one natural therapist for you? If there is only one provider that gets the right results, you should check which funds they are approved by. If they are not approved by your insurer no claims can be lodged for their services.
- How much treatment do you need? If you use natural therapy services regularly, work out how many sessions you typically undergo each year and double check to make sure your extras policy covers enough to make it worthwhile.
- Are you using holistic medicine to manage chronic illness? If alternative remedies are keeping your ailments at bay then you may be able to access chronic disease management programs through your health insurance provider.
What should you be aware of when claiming naturopathy?
If you intend to claim alternative treatments and natural therapies on your health insurance there are some things you need to be sure of first:
- Is the provider approved by your fund? Your healthcare provider must be approved by the fund. You can usually find the conditions of approval on your insurer's website or you can ask the practitioner whether they are approved by a specific health fund that you are considering.
- Is there a maximum claim amount? You can only claim holistic therapies up to the limit of your policy. Many policies use a combination of maximum number of visits per year, maximum cost covered or portion of costs being paid by the health fund. Your health insurance provider may have more than one of these restrictions.
- Can you only claim for a specific condition? Some policies only provide cover if you are seeking naturopathic treatment for an eligible health issue. Typically this requires a particular remedy to be a recognised treatment for that specific condition.
What are the steps for lodging a claim for naturopathy?
While each health fund is different, you should typically have to follow this process to claim naturopathy on your health insurance:
| How to submit a naturopathy claim | Important details to remember |
|---|---|
| Step one. Confirm that the service is claimable. | Do this by contacting your health fund to make sure that the treatment and practitioner are eligible for cover under your policy. |
| Step two. Have the receipt for treatment on hand. | You may need documentation that shows your expenses and a breakdown of what they where for in order to fill out your claims form. |
| Step three. Know the limits and restrictions | If your policy has limits or restrictions placed on naturopathy you may incur additional costs that have to be paid out of your own pocket. |
| Step four. Submit the claim to your health fund. | If your practitioner has a HICAPS terminal you can claim using your membership card. If not lodge it via your health fund's website or by post. |
Terms to look out for when comparing health insurance
When you are researching policies keep an eye out for the following conditions, as these can determine how much you could claim for naturopathy, or whether you can claim for it at all:
- Exclusions. These are circumstances where a benefit is not paid. Common exclusions include treatment received outside of Australia, claims for a service that has reached its benefit limit and if you used false information on your claims form.
- Benefit limits. These apply a cap on the amount that can be claimed for treatment. This is usually set as an annual limit but you should watch out for other terms such as cost limits, session limits, per person or family limits and lifetime limits.
- Excess. This is an additional fee you have to pay before claiming, either as a total amount annually or each time you claim. Excess fees can differ between health funds so be sure to check your policy so you know if one applies or how much it is.
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