*Prices are based on a single person living in Sydney earning less than $97,000 per year.
Below are a few options from Finder partners with chiropractic benefits. All have a 2-month waiting period. All prices are based on a single individual with less than $97,000 income and living in Sydney.
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.
Read the full Finder Score methodology
| Response | Female | Male |
|---|---|---|
| Chiropractic and osteopathy | 11.3% | 6.67% |
The cost of visiting a chiropractor can vary depending on who you see, but generally, there will be two different costs:
Aside from paying all the fees out of pocket, there are two different options for paying for chiropractic services: Medicare and private health insurance.
Medicare can help with chiropractor costs for up to five visits a year if you suffer from chronic pain. To claim, you need to speak to your GP about a Chronic Disease Management plan (CDM) or Team Care Arrangement (TCA).
This could save you between $200 and $500 over the course of 5 sessions.
A chronic condition is defined as a pain or injury that you've had for six months or longer. Commonly these can include:
If you are not eligible for a CDM plan or TCA, you either have to pay full price or get private health insurance.
If you have an extras policy that covers chiropractic treatment, it can chip in on the cost, though you'll still likely have to pay some of the cost. Before you can claim, you may need to complete a waiting period of two months.
The amount you can claim per visit will depend on your extras policy, and there's generally a limit to how much you can claim each year, $300 for example.
Your insurer will most probably pay a percentage of your fee for each visit until you reach the total limit for the year. For example, if your initial consultation is $100 your insurer may pay you for 60% of the cost leaving you with an out-of-pocket expense of $40.Alternatively, you may get a set refund per session, such as $20 per hour.
Here's a summary of how those costs would compare with and without private insurance over time. In this case, saving you $188 over 8 treatments.
| Treatment cost | With extras cover | |
|---|---|---|
| Visit 1 | $120 | $72 |
| Visit 2 | $50 | $30 |
| Visit 3 | $50 | $30 |
| Visit 4 | $50 | $30 |
| Visit 5 | $50 | $30 |
| Visit 6 | $50 | $30 |
| Visit 7 | $50 | $30 |
| Visit 8 | $50 | $30 |
| Total treatment cost | $470 | $282 |
It's also a good idea to check whether your health insurer has a preferred provider before you see a chiropractor just to be sure that it will cover your claim. If you already have someone in mind, it's best to check if they take HICAPS payment, as you can then use your private health insurance card to get an on-the-spot discount.
Many funds have sign-up deals that waive the waiting period for treatments like chiropractic - check out these verified deals from Finder partners to see if you could benefit.
Ensure your health insurance includes psychological wellbeing services when comparing cover.
Remedial massage can help ease pain from general wear and tear as well as specific injuries. This treatment isn’t covered by Medicare but is included in private health insurance extras cover. Find out how private health insurance can cover you for remedial massage therapy.
What do the annual benefit limits on your health insurance extras cover actually mean? Find out here.
Physiotherapy services can be beneficial at any life stage, so it could be worth considering and comparing extras health insurance that can cover the cost of this type of treatment.
Some health funds offer no-gap optical schemes and this guide looks at what these cover and which health funds are providing them to their members.
To cover the cost of eye tests, glasses, contact lenses and other optical services, you’ll need to take out extras cover from a private health fund.
If you're wondering what pharmaceutical costs are covered by private health insurance, we've got a guide to health cover for non-PBS pharmaceuticals here.
finder.com.au explains how the private and public health system in Australia handles optical procedures and services.
This guide takes a look at private health insurance in relation to gym membership and other health-related services.
Discover more about accessing naturopathy, herbal remedies, traditional Chinese medicine and other alternatives with coverage through your health insurance.
