Can You Claim Exercise Physiology On Private Health Insurance?

Exercise physiology is included in extras cover through many private health insurance providers, so if you’ve got extras, you may be in luck. Here’s a quick guide to getting the most out of your exercise physiology cover.
 

Make sure your exercise physiologist has the right qualifications

Private health insurance companies only provide rebates for sessions provided by ESSA Accredited Exercise Physiologists (AEPs). ESSA is the governing body for exercise physiologists in Australia, and work with Medicare and private health insurance companies to make sure AEPs maintain high standards. You can verify ESSA accreditation on the ESSA website.
 

Find out what your coverage is

Call your insurance provider and find out if your cover includes exercise physiology, how much money you have allocated to that category, and what your expected rebates are. You may also want to find out when your annual coverage renews, as some insurance companies work on the calendar year, and some on the financial year. All of this information can help you plan out how to best make use of your coverage. A list of private health insurers that include exercise physiology in their extras cover is attached at the end of this article. If you don’t see your private health provider on the list, definitely give them a call and tell them you’d like to see it added!
 

Don’t worry about a referral

They aren’t required for exercise physiology sessions covered by private health insurance. (You will need a referral from your GP if you wish to claim for Medicare rebates though, and you can’t use Medicare and private health to cover the same session). At Micheal Clarke Recreation Centre, your Exercise Physiology sessions include gym access, which means that you can save on a gym membership as well. 
 

Do make sure you have a valid reason for seeking treatment

Exercise physiology sessions that are clearly intended to prevent, delay, or improve a chronic disease or injury are generally covered, but general fitness programs are not. The Medicare definition of a chronic disease or condition includes things like diabetes and heart disease (among others), but also ongoing muscle and joint pain from traumatic or overuse injuries. This includes lower back pain, knee pain, neck and shoulder pain (including from or causing headaches and poor posture), and general musculoskeletal soreness that you’ve been experiencing for at least six months.
 

Talk to our exercise physiologist about making the most of your rebates

At Micheal Clarke Recreation Centre, we’re all about maximising your benefits, which means having a plan for making the best use of them. After discussing your ultimate, long-term goals, together we’ll work to figure out how many sessions you might need to reach them. This always varies based on how much support and accountability you need to stay on track, how much work you’re willing to do on your own, and how quickly your body adapts to exercise, among other things. But we’ll always aim to get you moving easily and feeling great as soon as possible.