Private health insurance and yoga: what the latest changes mean for you
If you’ve ever hoped that your yoga classes or meditation on Mornington Peninsula would be covered by insurance, we’ve got some good news for you. Yoga has been reinstated as a natural therapy with Australia’s private health insurers.
The road to get us here has been a long one, with it previously being removed from coverage during a government review several years ago. Since then, there have been many changes which mean that yoga won’t be funded in the same way as it was previously.
Don’t worry – we break it all down below.
Why was yoga removed from private health insurance?
Up until a few years ago yoga was covered by a handful of Australian health funds as an extras benefit. However there were limited standards around who was qualified to offer classes that could be eligible for rebates and how those classes should be structured.
Yoga was removed from insurers’ lists of eligible natural therapies as part of a government review. While the review was underway, more evidence was needed to justify yoga being publicly funded through health insurance rebates.
Research into the benefits of yoga has continued over recent years. Studies have shown potential benefits for many areas of wellbeing when practiced under the guidance of a qualified teacher.
Demonstrating yoga’s benefits
Thankfully numerous organisations, researchers and health professionals have worked hard to build the body of evidence that shows yoga can be a valuable tool for supporting health.
Yoga Australia has been particularly proactive in lobbying the government and insurers to help demonstrate the real-world value.
Yoga Australia also developed a self-regulation framework for yoga teachers which helped ensure students always have access to qualified, experienced teachers.
What happens next?
Just because yoga has been reinstated, it doesn’t mean you’ll be able to start claiming rebates on your classes straight away.
In order for rebates to be available, health insurers will need to update their extras products to include yoga. This process will take time because insurers will need to decide if they want to offer it as an eligible benefit.
It also recently became law that all new private health products must be approved by Government before they can be offered to consumers.
Two ways students can claim
Students should soon be able to claim their yoga classes using one of two separate pathways.
- The studio pathway
This is the pathway that will likely be available first with some insurers.
Students pay to attend a class at a participating yoga studio then claim part of the cost using their private health insurance.
To claim under this option students will likely need:
An adequate level of extras cover
A letter or referral from their GP specifying the health reason they require yoga
A tax invoice from their yoga school.
This pathway works similarly to some gym memberships and other preventative health programmes offered by some insurers.
Yoga teachers will NOT be required to hold an individual provider number for students to claim under this pathway.
Exactly what you’ll need to claim will always depend on your individual health fund and policy. So if you’re ever unsure, it’s worth checking with your insurer.
- The provider pathway
The provider pathway formally recognises qualified yoga teachers as individual healthcare professionals.
Students will claim for treatment provided by a registered yoga therapist in the same way they would claim to see a physiotherapist or osteopath.
This pathway allows students to directly pay teachers for yoga classes. Until now, yoga hasn’t been able to be claimed this way in Australia.
Registration and claim details are now being rolled out for yoga teachers as agreements are confirmed with participating health insurers.
Why these changes are so important
Great news though these changes are, it’s far more important than simply receiving some money back on your yoga classes.
It also recognises yoga as a legitimate healthcare service which can help people feel better – especially when taught by qualified, experienced teachers.
For some people, yoga has been a fantastic adjunct to medical treatment they have received. Not only can yoga help improve movement and function, but it can help people manage their overall conditions.
What this means for Mount Martha Yoga students
At Mount Martha Yoga our classes have always been designed to be accessible to anyone who wants to learn yoga. That’s why we’re excited to see yoga once again being recognised by health professionals and insurers across Australia.
It’s still a little too soon to know when or how you might be able to claim your yoga classes, but we’ll keep you posted on any updates we learn about.
We recommend students keep an eye out for updates from their private health insurer or contact them to find out if yoga is included in their current or future products.
In the meantime, if teacher Emily can help your business with corporate yoga Mornington Peninsula, or special event yoga at your holiday accommodation, we offer mobile yoga teachers on Mornington Peninsula too.
