Private Health Rebates for Pilates are Back
Everything You Need to Know to claim pilates sessions.
If you use Pilates to manage a chronic condition, recover from an injury, or support your overall physical health, we have some fantastic news. Following the Australian Government’s landmark 2024 Natural Therapies Review, Pilates has been officially reinstated as an eligible service for private health insurance premium rebates.
This change recognises the clinical effectiveness of Pilates when delivered by highly qualified professionals. Here is a breakdown of what this means for you, why qualifications matter and exactly how you can claim.
Why Qualifications Matter:
The Credentialing Framework
You might wonder why some fitness services qualify for rebates while others don’t. The government’s new framework places a massive emphasis on credentialing, which strictly verifies a teacher's qualifications before granting rebate eligibility.
To qualify for private health fund rebates, a teacher must hold an RTO-accredited Diploma in comprehensive Pilates instruction. This ensures a higher standard of training in anatomy, physiology, clinical assessment and rehabilitation compared to standard Certificate IV or non-accredited weekend courses.
Our Principal Teacher, Darcey, meets these elite standards. She is an Accredited Professional with AUSactive (registered as both a Fitness Pilates Instructor and a Pilates Method Teacher). Her commitment to continuous professional development (CPD) means her sessions satisfy the strict requirements set by Australian private health funds.
What Can Pilates Help Manage?
Health funds generally offer these rebates under ‘Health Management’ or ‘Health Improvement’ covers. To be eligible, your sessions must support a recognised health need, such as:
Chronic disease management
Pre or post-operative rehabilitation
Injury prevention and management
Mental health and wellbeing support
Your Step-by-Step Guide to Claiming Rebates
Important: Having private health insurance does not guarantee a refund. Rebates depend strictly on your individual level of Extras coverage. Always contact your fund directly to confirm your eligibility.
If you want to claim for your 1:1 or health-focused sessions, follow these steps:
1. Contact Your Health Fund
Ask them if your current policy covers Health Management Programs or Health Improvement Benefits for Pilates.
2. Obtain a Medical Referral
In almost all cases, you will need your GP or an allied health professional to sign a referral letter or a specific health fund form. These forms state that Pilates is being prescribed to manage a specific health condition. These referrals are typically valid for up to 2 years!
To make things easy, we have downloaded and attached the Health Management claim forms for the following funds directly to this post. Click on the links to download:
3. Provide Us With Your Details
Once you have your referral, email it through to us so we can note it down on your client profile.
4. Claim Your Rebate
Monthly, after your sessions, we will issue you an official receipt/invoice. To ensure a seamless claims process, we guarantee all of our invoices include the mandatory details required by the insurance funds:
Date of service & fee charged
Our business details (name, ABN and address)
Darcey’s full name and professional registration/membership numbers
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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Your receipt will feature the date of service, provider's full name, professional membership number, description of the service, fee charged, our clinic name, ABN, and address. Make sure to keep copies for your records!goes here
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Generally, health funds only cover Pilates when it is utilised for specific health management or rehabilitation purposes (often favoured in 1:1 or highly personalised settings).
Purely recreational fitness is typically excluded, so please check with your fund for their exact policy.
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If you have any questions about booking a eligible 1:1 session with Darcey or need help understanding the forms, please reach out to us here.
