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Private Health Insurance for Physiotherapy

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Last Updated 20/03/2025
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Written by

Madeline Pettet

Last Updated 20/03/2025

Our aim is to help you make better informed decisions. That’s why iSelect’s content is produced in accordance with our fact-checking and editorial guidelines.

Edited by

Laura Crowden

Reviewed by

Andres Gutierrez

Find out more about how we make money.

View our Privacy Policy.

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I need cover for…

What do physiotherapists do?

How much does it cost to see a physiotherapist?

Is seeing a physiotherapist covered by Medicare?

Does my health insurance cover seeing a physio?

What is the best health insurance for physio?

How do I choose a physiotherapist?

Where can I find and compare health insurance?

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Long story short

1
Physiotherapists can help get you moving again

You might need a hand with reducing pain and stiffness or managing a condition or injury. 

2
Physiotherapists can choose what they charge for their services

But you can always ask about fees ahead of time, and your private health cover might even help pay the bill.

3
Both your hospital and extras cover may include physiotherapy

Keep in mind, you can only use your hospital physio cover if you’re a hospital in-patient.

What do physiotherapists do?

If you’re finding yourself feeling stiff and sore, and even struggling to move as you’d like to, a visit to the physiotherapist (or physio) could do the trick. You don’t even need to get a referral. 

You might have some strains, sprains, or other injuries; or you might need help with a chronic condition, like arthritis, lymphoedema, diabetes, or cancer. A physio can also be a handy allied health professional to chat to if you’re in the rehabilitation stage after surgery or a stroke, or getting to grips with a new mobility aid, like a walking stick or wheelchair. 

Working with you, a physiotherapist will put together a care program to help manage any conditions or injuries affecting your bones, muscles, or nerves. This program can include all sorts of techniques and treatments including:  

  • soft tissue mobilisation (a massage that’s for more than relaxation)
  • applying heat
  • acupuncture or dry needling
  • stretching and manipulating joints
  • taping and splinting 

They might also give you some exercises to do at home to keep things moving between sessions. Unfortunately, it’s the kind of homework you can’t blame the dog for if it doesn’t get done.  

How much does it cost to see a physiotherapist?

Physiotherapists can decide how much they charge for their services.

Before you start worrying the sky really might be the limit, remember that registered physios need to follow a code of conduct.1For more information, see Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and National Boards – Shared Code of conduct This code specifically calls out getting your financial consent before beginning. In other words, it means you shouldn’t feel afraid to ask about their fees before you make an appointment or undergo treatment with them. It helps protect you from any unpleasant surprises when it comes time to pay the bill.  

If you’d prefer some rough cost estimates before you start ringing local physios, there are a couple of places you can check.  

For instance, Comcare (the Government’s workers’ compensation entity), offers guidance on the upper limits physios could charge. The table shows some suggested upper limit of fees for initial and standard or subsequent consultations with physiotherapists in different states as of February 2025.  

State Type of consultation Rate 
ACT Initial consultation and treatment $112.20 
Standard consultation and treatment  $95.99 
NT Initial consultation (for one area with a Level 1 physiotherapist) $135.50 
Standard consultation (for one area with a Level 1 physiotherapist) $69.48 
NSW   Initial consultation and treatment  $142.40 
Standard consultation and treatment  $96.50 
QLD Initial consultation $129.00 
Subsequent consultation $101.00 
SA Initial consultation, including history, assessment, and treatment $109.00 
Standard subsequent consultation, including re-assessment and treatment $90.70 
TAS Initial consultation (of one area) $106.91 
Standard consultation (of one area) $85.57 
VIC Initial consultation, including history, exam, and treatment $133.24 
Standard consultation, including history, exam, and treatment $66.60 
WA  Initial consultation, including history, exam, and treatment $115.90 
Subsequent consultation, including history, exam, and treatment of one area or condition $93.95 

Source: Comcare – Rates for medical and allied health treatment 

Note: These fees are based on relevant workers’ compensation schemes. Seeing a physiotherapist outside of a workers’ compensation scheme may mean your fees are different. 

Alternatively, you can look to the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) as your guide. The MBS puts a physio appointment of at least 20 minutes down as $70.95. 

Is seeing a physiotherapist covered by Medicare?

Medicare may help pay for your physio session, but it depends on the situation. 

If you aren’t in hospital, but you’d still like to see a physio, there’s only one way Medicare will help pay the bill: if you have a chronic disease management plan. This is a plan your GP will draw up with you if you’re eligible, and they’ll need to list physio as part of it.

The catch is you can only claim the Medicare rebate for five appointments in total – and that applies to any services listed as part of your chronic disease management plan’s team care arrangements. So, if you need to see a dietician or occupational therapist as part of your plan, any sessions you have with them take away from that five-appointment limit.

Those sessions, by the way, also need to be in-person individual ones that last at least 20 minutes.

If you make it over all those hurdles, you’ll get 85% of the MBS rate back. That equals $60.35. Of course, your physio may charge more than the MBS rate, so the difference will need to come out of your pocket. However, if you have a concession card, your physio might choose to bulk-bill you. Then you won’t have any out-of-pocket costs to worry about.

If you’re admitted to a public hospital as a public patient, and physiotherapy makes up part of your in-patient treatment, Medicare will handle that part of the bill. As a public patient, Medicare generally takes care of all of your hospital bill.

For private patients, whether in a public or private hospital, Medicare will cover 75% of the MBS rate as applicable. This might not equal 75% of your bill though. Whatever the leftover amount is, Medicare won’t cover it.

If you aren’t in hospital, but you’d still like to see a physio, there’s only one way Medicare will help pay the bill: if you have a chronic disease management plan. This is a plan your GP will draw up with you if you’re eligible, and they’ll need to list physio as part of it.

The catch is you can only claim the Medicare rebate for five appointments in total – and that applies to any services listed as part of your chronic disease management plan’s team care arrangements. So, if you need to see a dietician or occupational therapist as part of your plan, any sessions you have with them take away from that five-appointment limit.

Those sessions, by the way, also need to be in-person individual ones that last at least 20 minutes.

If you make it over all those hurdles, you’ll get 85% of the MBS rate back. That equals $60.35. Of course, your physio may charge more than the MBS rate, so the difference will need to come out of your pocket. However, if you have a concession card, your physio might choose to bulk-bill you. Then you won’t have any out-of-pocket costs to worry about.

If you’re admitted to a public hospital as a public patient, and physiotherapy makes up part of your in-patient treatment, Medicare will handle that part of the bill. As a public patient, Medicare generally takes care of all of your hospital bill.

For private patients, whether in a public or private hospital, Medicare will cover 75% of the MBS rate as applicable. This might not equal 75% of your bill though. Whatever the leftover amount is, Medicare won’t cover it.

Does my health insurance cover seeing a physio?

If you have private health insurance, you might be able to use it to pay for some of your physio costs. Of course, this depends on your policy and what you’re covered for. 

You’ll need to check your extras policy if you want to see your physio outside of hospital (as in you haven’t been admitted to hospital) and have your health insurance handle at least some of the bill. Look for any cover for physiotherapy. It might be bundled with other services (like chiro) or have its own category.

If physio is part of your health insurance, there’ll likely be a few variables at play affecting when you get money back and how much.

For starters, how are benefits handled? You might get a set dollar figure back for each appointment, or a percentage of the bill. These benefits, too, may be greater if you see one of your fund’s preferred providers. Alternatively, your insurer may not have any preferred providers, and you can claim when you see any physio registered with Medicare.

Next, look over any limits that apply. You might be only able to get up to a certain amount back overall until your limits reset. These limits could apply just to you or to everyone listed on your policy. Depending on your limits, you might need to be strategic in your claims and even be prepared for more out-of-pocket costs.

Finally, if your health insurance is new, or you hadn’t previously been covered for physio, make sure to read through any information on waiting periods. This is how long you’ll need to hold your cover before you can start claiming. If you’ve swapped policies but the coverage is equivalent, you may not need to re-serve them. While these waiting periods can vary between insurers and policies, you may only need to wait as little as two months to get claiming, and sometimes insurers might waive waiting periods on physio altogether for new customers. Any claims made before the waiting period is up will not be approved.

Keep in mind that even if you are eligible to use both Medicare and health insurance on physio sessions, you can’t double-dip for the same session. So, if you make a claim to Medicare, you can’t then also make one with your health insurance. Instead, you might want to use any eligible Medicare claims you have – up to five sessions as part of a chronic disease management plan – and then use your health insurance for any other sessions you need.

And speaking of claiming, when that time comes usually it’s as simple as using your membership card when you pay the bill to automatically process your claim through HICAPS.

If that’s not an option or you’ve left your card at home, your insurer may have an app or online portal you can submit a claim through. They might also accept claims by email or post. Whichever option you pick, make sure to include a copy of your receipt with your claim.

If you need some physio rehab as a patient in hospital – even if it’s as a day patient – it’s your hospital cover that will decide if your insurance covers your physical therapy.

Like extras policies, what your hospital cover includes for physiotherapy can vary.

All gold hospital policies have to include cover for rehabilitation, which can include physio, depending on what your doctor recommends. All other tiers need to include rehab cover too, but it’ll be restricted – they don’t go all out like gold can.

This means that if you opt to be a private patient in a public hospital, a lower tier policy will only cover some of your physio and rehab costs. If you were to check into a private hospital as a private patient, you will need to shoulder even more of the bill.

Even with a gold policy, you will likely still have out-of-pocket costs, like an excess or regular co-payment. These can be a balancing act to ensure you can keep your cover while keeping the premium in line with your budget.

Regardless of the policy you pick, the waiting period for hospital rehabilitation is two months. If you start a new policy without increasing your level of cover, and you’ve already served this waiting period on your old policy, you won’t need to serve it again.

And what about when it comes time to make your claim? If your insurer is part of the Medicare Two-way scheme, you can opt to submit your Medicare claim to Medicare online, and they’ll pass along the information to your insurer. Alternatively, you can start with the claim to your insurer, and they’ll hand on Medicare’s bit.

If Medicare Two-way isn’t an option, you may be able to claim on your hospital insurance through your fund’s app or website. To do so, you might need to have copies of your invoices and receipts, along with your Medicare Statement of Benefits.

You’ll need to check your extras policy if you want to see your physio outside of hospital (as in you haven’t been admitted to hospital) and have your health insurance handle at least some of the bill. Look for any cover for physiotherapy. It might be bundled with other services (like chiro) or have its own category.

If physio is part of your health insurance, there’ll likely be a few variables at play affecting when you get money back and how much.

For starters, how are benefits handled? You might get a set dollar figure back for each appointment, or a percentage of the bill. These benefits, too, may be greater if you see one of your fund’s preferred providers. Alternatively, your insurer may not have any preferred providers, and you can claim when you see any physio registered with Medicare.

Next, look over any limits that apply. You might be only able to get up to a certain amount back overall until your limits reset. These limits could apply just to you or to everyone listed on your policy. Depending on your limits, you might need to be strategic in your claims and even be prepared for more out-of-pocket costs.

Finally, if your health insurance is new, or you hadn’t previously been covered for physio, make sure to read through any information on waiting periods. This is how long you’ll need to hold your cover before you can start claiming. If you’ve swapped policies but the coverage is equivalent, you may not need to re-serve them. While these waiting periods can vary between insurers and policies, you may only need to wait as little as two months to get claiming, and sometimes insurers might waive waiting periods on physio altogether for new customers. Any claims made before the waiting period is up will not be approved.

Keep in mind that even if you are eligible to use both Medicare and health insurance on physio sessions, you can’t double-dip for the same session. So, if you make a claim to Medicare, you can’t then also make one with your health insurance. Instead, you might want to use any eligible Medicare claims you have – up to five sessions as part of a chronic disease management plan – and then use your health insurance for any other sessions you need.

And speaking of claiming, when that time comes usually it’s as simple as using your membership card when you pay the bill to automatically process your claim through HICAPS.

If that’s not an option or you’ve left your card at home, your insurer may have an app or online portal you can submit a claim through. They might also accept claims by email or post. Whichever option you pick, make sure to include a copy of your receipt with your claim.

If you need some physio rehab as a patient in hospital – even if it’s as a day patient – it’s your hospital cover that will decide if your insurance covers your physical therapy.

Like extras policies, what your hospital cover includes for physiotherapy can vary.

All gold hospital policies have to include cover for rehabilitation, which can include physio, depending on what your doctor recommends. All other tiers need to include rehab cover too, but it’ll be restricted – they don’t go all out like gold can.

This means that if you opt to be a private patient in a public hospital, a lower tier policy will only cover some of your physio and rehab costs. If you were to check into a private hospital as a private patient, you will need to shoulder even more of the bill.

Even with a gold policy, you will likely still have out-of-pocket costs, like an excess or regular co-payment. These can be a balancing act to ensure you can keep your cover while keeping the premium in line with your budget.

Regardless of the policy you pick, the waiting period for hospital rehabilitation is two months. If you start a new policy without increasing your level of cover, and you’ve already served this waiting period on your old policy, you won’t need to serve it again.

And what about when it comes time to make your claim? If your insurer is part of the Medicare Two-way scheme, you can opt to submit your Medicare claim to Medicare online, and they’ll pass along the information to your insurer. Alternatively, you can start with the claim to your insurer, and they’ll hand on Medicare’s bit.

If Medicare Two-way isn’t an option, you may be able to claim on your hospital insurance through your fund’s app or website. To do so, you might need to have copies of your invoices and receipts, along with your Medicare Statement of Benefits.

What is the best health insurance for physio?

Whether it’s extras or hospital cover, there’s no best health insurance for physio, physical therapy, or any kind of health care simply because everyone’s situation and needs are different. While this can be frustrating if you were hoping for a quick solution, it means you can pick a policy that more closely aligns with your health needs, rather than being saddled with a bunch of things you don’t want or intend to use. 

So, given you’re in the driver’s seat for this choice, how do you pick a policy for physio?  

Benefits

You want health insurance because you want to claim some money back after your physio session. So, how much will you get back? Is it a set dollar figure or is it a percentage of bill? Does what you get back depend on the kind of appointment you have and who you see? 

Limits

Limits come in all shapes and sizes, from how big they are to if you can share them. Even when they reset, like at the start of the calendar or financial year, could mean one policy stands heads and shoulders above the rest in your mind. 

Preferred providers

We touched on it in benefits, but if the policy comes with preferred providers, are they really ones you’d prefer? If you already see a physio, can you keep seeing them? Are any preferred physios close by? Your choice of provider may matter more to you than a higher benefit limit. 

Waiting periods

Hospital cover has standardised waiting periods, but extras cover doesn’t. If seeing a physio soon is a priority for you, you might be more interested in policies with shorter waiting periods, or a fund that is waiving physio waiting periods to attract new customers.  

Budget

Sitting down and figuring out a budget is nobody’s idea of a fun Saturday. However, you’ll need to know what health insurance premium you can afford – or you might end up in a world of trouble.  

When you’re comparing health insurance, it’s easy to just compare by premium cost. However, make sure you’re also looking at value. A policy that costs a little extra money each month but has plenty of cover might be worth a lot more to you than a cheap policy that doesn’t really cover anything you need. 

If you’re looking to get the most from every dollar, you can also keep an eye out for special offers. Even a few bucks off for paying your premium by direct debit can add up over time.

Helpful tip:

Don’t overlook convenience when you’re comparing health insurance. If you have enough life admin to deal with and want to simplify things, you may be able to purchase a combined hospital and extras policy. This means you’ve got both types of cover in the one deal – and only have the one premium to pay. 

Andres Gutierrez

General Manager – Health

How do I choose a physiotherapist?

While picking a physiotherapist can be a bit like choosing health insurance – it’s up to you to decide what’s best for you – we do have a few suggestions of how to go about it. 

  • Get recommendations or do you own research: Speak with your GP, friends, and family to see if they can recommend someone. Your insurer may also have preferred providers. You can look online at reviews, too, to help make your decision.
  • Check registration: Physiotherapists need to be registered, and you can double-check they are through the Physiotherapy Board of Australia website.2For more information, see Physiotherapy Board of Australia – Regulating Australia’s physiotherapists
  • Look at what services they offer: See if they’re familiar with your condition or issue, and what treatments they use.
  • Check their location and hours: Save yourself a headache and work out whether where they are and the times they’re available fit with your schedule.
  • Consider their gender: Physiotherapy can involve physical contact, and you may prefer to see a practitioner of a certain gender as a result.
  • Work out what and how you’ll pay for the appointment: This can include getting a list of fees, checking if your health insurance and/or concession card is accepted, and if payment plans are available. 

Where can I find and compare health insurance?

If you can feel a familiar twinge in your neck and shoulders, it doesn’t hurt to have the number of a good physiotherapist saved on your phone. Health insurance is much the same – you might not think about it all that much when it’s smooth sailing, but when things get rough, you may be very thankful you planned ahead. 

You can save yourself time and effort now, and potentially lots of worry later, by using our online comparison tool or speaking with one of our health comparison experts on 1800 784 772. Either way, we make it easy to compare a range of health insurance options in a matter of minutes. 

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