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Private Health Insurance for Natural Therapies
Private Health Insurance for Natural Therapies
Written by
Tina Sendin
Edited by
Ellie Garran
Reviewed by
Dr Jill GambergCompare Health Insurance Policies
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What are natural therapies?
Long story short
Private health insurance can help cover natural therapies
Extras cover may include treatments like acupuncture, chiropractic care, and remedial massage, but it depends on your policy.
Not all natural therapies are covered by insurance
Treatments like aromatherapy, reflexology, and homeopathy are excluded because there’s not enough evidence that they’re effective.
Costs and benefits vary between policies
Not surprisingly, policies with broader coverage for natural therapies tend to cost more, but flexible options let you tailor your cover.
Waiting periods may apply
Though some insurers can waive waiting periods for new customers, so it’s worth shopping around.
What are natural therapies?
Not all natural therapies deserve the woo-woo reputation they get. Yes, they’re a bit different from conventional medical treatments, but they could be used as an addition to traditional medicine. Generally speaking, they can help provide holistic and non-invasive treatments for patients. Natural therapies can sometimes also be referred to as alternative or complementary therapies.
Does Medicare cover natural therapies?
Medicare doesn’t cover natural therapies, unfortunately. If you’re keen on them, you’ll need to check with the clinic about costs beforehand, as they tend to vary based on the treatment.
If you have private health insurance, you can also get rebate for some of them (we’ll go over the list of what can be covered in a sec)!
Does health insurance cover natural therapies?
Typically, you’ll only be able to claim benefits for natural therapies under extras cover, which can help you pay for the kind of treatments and medical services you get outside of hospital. These can be things like dental treatments, prescription glasses and – you guessed it – some natural therapies.
There are some things to keep in mind when it comes to a policy’s coverage for natural therapies.
Not all natural therapies can be covered under your extras. While some have proven benefits, others don’t have a lot of evidence backing them up. But don’t worry – we’ll give you a breakdown of which is which in a sec!
Where you get treated for natural therapies is pretty vital! Most insurers will only pay benefits if you visit a recognised provider. You’ll always want to check with your insurer beforehand to make sure they recognise your chosen provider. It might just save you from having to pay 100% of the bill!
If covered by your policy, and you’ve served any relevant waiting periods, you’ll be able to make a claim for natural therapies and get a certain amount back. This can work in one or two ways:
- Set benefits: Your insurer will pay a fixed amount of money (e.g. $30) when you make a claim for your treatment. You will need to pay the rest of the bill.
- Percentage benefits: Your insurer will pay back a percentage of the bill for your treatment (i.e. 50%). Again, it will be up to you to pay the rest.
A limit on how much you can claim for each type of treatment may also apply, and it usually resets every year. Plus, not every extras policy will cover you for the same things. Each insurer and policy are different: one might cover you for myotherapy, another might not.
For this reason, it’s always a good idea to read the policy document that the insurer provides. This will give you a good overview of the coverage you’re getting, and the private health insurance statement (PHIS) can usually be found on the insurer’s website.
What natural therapies might health insurance cover?
Natural therapies that have a body of evidence behind them may get included in some extras policies. Here’s a quick overview of what extras around natural therapies could look like:
Acupuncture: a traditional Chinese medical practice using fine needles to stimulate specific points on the body for pain relief and overall wellness.
Chinese traditional medicine: a holistic approach to health that includes herbal remedies, acupuncture, Chinese massage, and dietary therapy focused on preventing illness.
Chiropractic treatment: a hands-on therapy focusing on spinal adjustments to treat a range of conditions like low back pain, migraine headaches, and neck pain.
Osteopathy: a manual therapy that uses hands to move and massage muscles and joints to treat issues such as pain, injuries, and movement problems.
Remedial massage: a complementary therapy designed to identify and treat musculoskeletal problems like muscle pain, tension, and bone injuries.
Myotherapy: A physical therapy that uses massage and other techniques to treat and prevent restricted joint movement and soft tissue pain.
This list of natural therapies that can’t be covered by private health insurance is pretty clear-cut. Back on 1 April 2019, the Australian Government ruled that insurers cannot offer cover for the following treatments:
aromatherapy
Bowen therapy
Buteyko
Feldenkrais
homeopathy
iridology
kinesiology
reflexology
Rolfing.
The decision to no longer offer government rebates for these services was based off a review in 2015 on how effective they actually were. A more recent review published in March 2025 confirmed there wasn’t enough evidence that these treatments were medically effective. As a result, insurers cannot provide cover for these services.
This is a shorter list than the original from the 2015 review, which also included things like yoga, Pilates, tai chi, and shiatsu – which are now being reconsidered for private health insurance benefits. These are still awaiting the green light, so we’ll have to hang tight to see if they’ll be covered down the line.
Acupuncture: a traditional Chinese medical practice using fine needles to stimulate specific points on the body for pain relief and overall wellness.
Chinese traditional medicine: a holistic approach to health that includes herbal remedies, acupuncture, Chinese massage, and dietary therapy focused on preventing illness.
Chiropractic treatment: a hands-on therapy focusing on spinal adjustments to treat a range of conditions like low back pain, migraine headaches, and neck pain.
Osteopathy: a manual therapy that uses hands to move and massage muscles and joints to treat issues such as pain, injuries, and movement problems.
Remedial massage: a complementary therapy designed to identify and treat musculoskeletal problems like muscle pain, tension, and bone injuries.
Myotherapy: A physical therapy that uses massage and other techniques to treat and prevent restricted joint movement and soft tissue pain.
This list of natural therapies that can’t be covered by private health insurance is pretty clear-cut. Back on 1 April 2019, the Australian Government ruled that insurers cannot offer cover for the following treatments:
aromatherapy
Bowen therapy
Buteyko
Feldenkrais
homeopathy
iridology
kinesiology
reflexology
Rolfing.
The decision to no longer offer government rebates for these services was based off a review in 2015 on how effective they actually were. A more recent review published in March 2025 confirmed there wasn’t enough evidence that these treatments were medically effective. As a result, insurers cannot provide cover for these services.
This is a shorter list than the original from the 2015 review, which also included things like yoga, Pilates, tai chi, and shiatsu – which are now being reconsidered for private health insurance benefits. These are still awaiting the green light, so we’ll have to hang tight to see if they’ll be covered down the line.
Helpful tip
When it comes to natural remedies, few things are more important than a healthy, balanced diet. For example, dietary fibre is great for our digestive health, but it also assists in the prevention of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and bowel cancer. A dietitian could help you plan a diet strategy that includes more fibre and suits your other needs.
Fortunately, health insurance can be very helpful here. Dietetics is an inclusion you might find on some extras policies. So, if you need a bit of help eating more healthily, then it might be worth considering.
Dr. Jill Gamberg
GP, Coach, and Lifestyle Medicine Physician
Is health insurance more expensive when it includes natural therapies?
This really depends on the policy. There will always be differences in what each insurer charges, the treatments they cover, the benefits they provide, and the limits they apply – all of which can have an effect on the price.
However, a policy that covers more treatments will generally be more expensive. Not surprisingly, a basic extras policy that only covers things like general dental services will usually cost less than an extras policy that covers a bunch of different natural therapies.
Still, there’s a silver lining. Some insurers offer flexible policies that let you select the medical services you want instead of having to pay for things you don’t need. This is a great way to take control of your cover and make sure it works for you.
What are the waiting periods for natural therapies?
Many insurers will put a waiting period on certain medical treatments when you take out health insurance. During these periods, you won’t be eligible to make any claims for these treatments.
Each insurer can set their own waiting periods for different services, and they can vary wildly: from two months to three years for extras. It’s not all doom and gloom, though! There’s no shortage of policies that apply the shorter, two-month waiting period when it comes to natural therapies.
And sometimes health funds will waive the waiting periods for natural therapies altogether for new customers – another reason to shop around! Just make sure you read the policy brochure beforehand, so you know what you’re getting.
Where can I find and compare health insurance for natural therapies?
Whether you’re looking for extras cover that offers benefits for natural therapies or health insurance for hospital cover, iSelect can make searching for a policy a lot easier.
So compare with us online if you’re after health insurance, and we’ll help you choose between a range of policies from a bunch of different providers. Give it a try today and see if we can help you find a great deal!
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