Through Medicare, Australians are lucky to have affordable access to GPs, hospitals and medicines. However, Medicare does not cover all our health costs. 

Many allied health services such as physiotherapy are not covered by Medicare.

For those without private health insurance, regular visits to a physiotherapist can become very expensive.  

However there are a few programs that let you claim physiotherapy costs on Medicare, as long as you meet the criteria.

If you have a child with a disability you may be able to access physiotherapy and other allied health services. The Better Start for Children with Disabilities program and the Helping Children with Autism program allow access to Medicare rebates for allied health services. If your child has cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, fragile-x syndrome, autism or meets specific levels of hearing and sight impairments you may be eligible.

To access these services through Medicare, your child needs to be part of an ongoing treatment and management plan, coordinated by your GP.  These services could include anything from physiotherapy to speech pathology, optometry, audiology, and psychology.

Another program helps those with chronic and terminal diseases access allied health services such as physiotherapy.

The Chronic Disease Management – GP Services program (formerly known as Enhanced Primary Care) helps GPs care for patients with chronic or terminal medical conditions while coordinating between other health care professionals.

Chronic medical conditions include conditions such as asthma, cancer, cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal conditions and stroke. This program is designed for those patients who need ongoing care from a variety of healthcare providers. These healthcare providers include physiotherapists, but also audiologists, mental health workers, chiropractors, speech pathologists, psychologists and dieticians.

To find out if you are eligible, speak to your GP.  If you are, your GP will develop a care plan for you and liaise with allied health care practitioners to manage your ongoing care. Moving forward, they will review your care plan regularly and address any future needs that occur.

If you think you or a family member are eligible for these programs, make an appointment to chat with your GP today.