Compare health insurance for physiotherapy, available from $3 a week and can cover a large amount of your physio bills.
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Step 1/2 - About your cover
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Depending on your age, you may be eligible for an
aged-based discount. This is used to estimate your
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What's your household's taxable income?
This is the combined income you and your spouse earn before tax. It's needed to calculate the correct Australian government rebate.
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$93,001 to $108,000
$108,001 to $144,000
$144,001 and over
What kind of health insurance do you need?
Combined (Extras + Hospitals)
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Restricted cover, You may be partially covered for
this category.
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*Prices updated December 2024, in line with Finder's database of health insurance policies. Prices reflect the cheapest available for a single individual with less than $97,000 income and living in Sydney with a $750 excess.
What extras cover do you need? (Optional)
Select as many as you want or move to the next step
Preventative & general dental
Major dental & implants
Optical
Physiotherapy
Podiatry
Non-PBS pharmaceuticals
Chiropractic
Emergency ambulance
Remedial massage
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Why compare with us
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Hang tight - we're fetching policies just for you!
Each month we analyse over 10,000 extras insurance products and rate each one on price and features. What we end up with is a nice round number out of 10 that helps you compare extras cover a bit faster.
We want to compare apples to apples, not apples to apple pie. It doesn't make sense to compare a top extras policy with coverage for hearing aids and braces against a policy designed only for dental. So we've separated all the extras policies on the market into pools and categories. Once in their pools and categories, each product gets a price score and a features score, which are then combined to give the Final Score.
Physio is covered by most basic extras policies from around $3 per week.
The physiotherapy benefit will likely have a per item limit and an annual limit - you should consider both in your comparison.
Waiting periods may apply.
The cost of physiotherapy without insurance can be around $80 to $130+ for a standard consultation.
How much is physiotherapy without insurance?
Physiotherapists will typically charge you per appointment, depending on the appointment type. Some treatments will require only a single appointment, but you'll generally need to visit a physio on multiple occasions for most issues. The table below lists some common appointment types and typical costs from Australian physios.
Appointment type
Typical cost
Initial consultation
$50-$200
Standard appointment
$100-$125
What amount will I be able to claim back?
Depending on the health fund and extras policy you choose, your benefit amount for physio services may be calculated in the following ways.
Set benefit. This means that your rebate will take the form of a fixed dollar amount for claims on eligible services, such as $40 or $50.
Percentage benefit. Alternatively, your rebate may be calculated as a percentage of the total fee charged for the service, for example 50% or 75%.
It is also worth remembering that an annual limit will apply to the maximum rebate you are able to claim per person. Luckily, your extras benefits reset each year.
What physiotherapy expenses are covered?
Health funds cover physio on extras policies, although the benefit amounts provided will depend on the level of cover you choose. For example, a basic extras policy may only provide limited benefits or even exclude physio altogether. However, if included an extras policy will generally cover the physio-related services listed below.
Initial and follow-up consultations.
The development of a treatment plan.
Pilates or hydrotherapy.
Antenatal exercise classes.
Compression recovery items.
Rehabilitation.
Be aware that there are certain physio-related items that are not commonly covered by private health funds. These can include foam rollers, trigger balls and sports tape. Also keep in mind that services and items that can be claimed may differ between health funds and individual extras cover, so make sure to compare the features of each policy closely before making a purchase.
Does Medicare cover any physiotherapy services?
For most out-of-hospital physiotherapy, Medicare does not provide cover, so you'll need to cover the cost either out-of-pocket or with private health insurance. However, there are 2 situations where Medicare can provide benefits for physio-related treatment - during public hospital admittance, and for chronic disease management:
Public hospital admittance. Medicare provides some benefits for public hospital patients who need inpatient physio treatment or rehabilitation.
Chronic Disease Management program (CDM). Medicare may also cover certain physio-related services if they are part of a CDM recommended by at least two allied health professionals and a GP. Eligible chronic diseases can include arthritis, diabetes, cancer, stroke and musculoskeletal conditions.
How much does health insurance cost?
We ask hundreds of Australians what they're paying for health insurance every month. Here's what their bill looked like in November 2024.
Extras only: $56
Basic: $105
Bronze: $141
Silver: $193
Gold: $223
Price based on 470+ responses for single hospital or extras insurance.
Frequently asked questions
To cover physiotherapy you'll need extras health insurance. You can get an extras policy that covers physio from as little as around $3 per week. More expensive policies will generally offer a larger benefit for each visit and a larger annual limit.
The cost of physiotherapy without insurance varies depending on the type of appointment, but expect to pay between $90 and $150 for a typical visit.
Medicare only covers physiotherapy during a public hospital visit, or to manage chronic disease management. For most out-of-hospital physiotherapy services, such as sports physio, Medicare does not provide a benefit.
Pensioners may be able to get cheaper services from some clinics - eg Total Physiotherapy charges just $85 for both initial and subsequent consultations to pension card holders.
No matter how active you are or what life stage you are at, there are plenty of reasons why you might be able to benefit from private health insurance cover for physiotherapy:
If you have developed a movement disorder of any kind.
If you are restricted by a chronic illness.
If you are recovering from an injury.
If you play a sport with a risk of physical injury.
.
There are several ways you can claim physiotherapy on your health insurance, but keep in mind that your health fund may not offer all of the following claim options.
On the spot. Use your membership card to submit your claim electronically through HICAPS when you visit your physio.
Online. Use your health fund's online claims service to submit the details of your claim, including a receipt from your physio.
Via an app. Many health funds offer claims apps that allow you to submit a photo of your receipt and claim.
Via email, fax or post. Fill out a claims form, attach a copy of your receipt and email, fax or post it to your health fund.
In person. If your fund operates bricks and mortar branch, visit one of these in person to submit your receipt and claim.
Gary Ross Hunter was an editor at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, travel, home, car, pet and health insurance for over 6 years and regularly appears as an insurance expert in publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian and news.com.au. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 2 General Advice General Insurance certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio
Gary Ross's expertise
Gary Ross has written 644 Finder guides across topics including:
Peta Taylor is a publisher at Finder, working across all of insurance. She's been analysing product disclosure statements and publishing articles for over 2 years. Peta is passionate about demystifying complex insurance products to help users make well educated decisions with confidence. Peta is part of Finder's insurance awards team and works alongside editorial and insights experts to bring users the best insurance products every year. See full bio
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Depending on your age, you may be eligible for an
aged-based discount. This is used to estimate your
rebate.
Under 65
65 - 69
70 or older
What's your household's taxable income?
This is the combined income you and your spouse earn before tax. It's needed to calculate the correct Australian government rebate.
$93,000 and under
$93,001 to $108,000
$108,001 to $144,000
$144,001 and over
What kind of health insurance do you need?
Combined (Extras + Hospitals)
Extras
Hospital
What level of hospital coverage would you like?
You can change this at any time later.
Legend
Covered
Restricted cover, You may be partially covered for
this category.
Not covered. Optional for insurer to include.
*Prices updated March 2024, in line with Finder's
database of health insurance policies. Prices are based
on a single individual with less than $93,000 income and
living in Sydney with a $750 excess.
What extras cover do you need? (Optional)
Select as many as you want or move to the next step
Preventative & general dental
Major dental & implants
Optical
Physiotherapy
Podiatry
Non-PBS pharmaceuticals
Chiropractic
Emergency ambulance
Remedial massage
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