PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE FUNDS

Approximately 50% of Australians have private health insurance. This is an important area for the osteopathic business model. There is a great deal of variation in the reimbursement rates for osteopathic services between the funds and with different levels of cover in a single fund. Most funds, but not all funds, will reimburse for osteopathic treatment.

Osteopathy Australia is committed to ensuring that osteopaths are treated equitably by the funds when compared with other manual medicine professions. We monitor the cover and advocate for increased reimbursements where osteopaths are treated less favourably than chiropractors or physiotherapists. Individual private health funds may not operate in all states and territories. Some funds restrict their eligibility for membership to particular professions. With some funds it is necessary to ‘register’ as a provider with the fund and they may provide you with their own provider numbers. The Commonwealth regulates private health funds and there is a great deal of information on the funds available for the public and practitioners: www.privatehealth.gov.au The most widely recognised private insurance funds by market share are BUPA, Medibank Private, Hospital Contribution Fund (HCF), NIB and HBF. Visit their websites for more information.

Look for links such as Providers, Information for Health Professionals or Information for Allied Health Professionals.