What is naturopathy?
According to the Australian Naturopathic Practitioners Association, naturopathy is a system of health care that can help treat both acute and chronic conditions.
Naturopaths can use different modalities, such as herbal medicine, nutritional medicine, homeopathy, dietary and lifestyle advice, and massage therapy, to treat clients holistically.
Better Health Channel adds that kinesiology, iridology, blood analysis, stool and urine analysis, hair analysis and functional testing can all be used by naturopaths, usually after a consultation in which a detailed health history is taken. This might consider factors such as your lifestyle, family history, environment and diet.
Is naturopathy covered by health insurance?
Naturopathy, along with several other natural therapies, is eligible for private health insurance cover in Australia from 1 July 2025. However, it’s up to individual insurers whether they choose to include these therapies in their policies and what level of benefits they offer.
Natural therapies that may be covered by health insurers can include remedial massage or myotherapy, acupuncture and Chinese medicine. Exercise physiology is also covered in many cases. If you’re interested in any of these treatments, it could be a good idea to check with your insurer what is and isn’t covered by your policy.
If you are considering taking out extras cover, you can compare health insurance policies with Canstar. Canstar’s Health Insurance Awards reveal award-winning health insurance providers. You may also be interested in finding out which provider has the most satisfied customers in Australia.
Many health insurers offer health insurance sign-up deals. While some health insurers may offer a benefit for naturopathy, it’s a good idea to read the fine print in a Private Health Insurance Statement (PHIS) as part of comparing different health insurance policies, to find out exactly what is covered.
Likewise, if you need flexibility with which provider you see, you may like to check if a provider is approved by a health fund you are considering.
What natural therapies are covered by private health insurance?
As part of the private health insurance changes introduced in 2019, the Australian Government removed cover for 16 natural therapies, including naturopathy, from the definition of private health insurance general treatment. This followed a review by the former Chief Medical Officer that found “no clear evidence” that these treatments were effective.
However, in July 2025, the Government has re-included seven therapies as eligible for private health insurance cover. It remains at the discretion of insurers whether they choose to offer benefits for these treatments.
These include:
- Alexander technique: An educational process that retrains posture and movement.
- Naturopathy: A holistic treatment that incorporates a range of techniques such as nutrition, herbalism and homeopathy, which advocates claim can help the body heal itself.
- Pilates: Exercise designed to lengthen and strengthen muscles.
- Shiatsu: Japanese massage technique that applies pressure to specific points of a patient’s body.
- Tai chi: Chinese martial art that involves gentle movement to exercise the body and clear the mind.
- Western herbalism: The use of plants to treat and prevent disease, based on herbal traditions in some European and American countries.
- Yoga: Ancient Indian philosophy that is popular today as a form of exercise and for stress management.
What natural therapies are not covered by private health insurance?
The following natural therapies remain excluded from cover:
- Aromatherapy: The use of essential oils in an effort to improve emotional and physical wellbeing.
- Bowen therapy: A remedial technique that gently works on the connective tissue of the body, which proponents claim can bring about self-healing.
- Buteyko: A breathing technique aimed at treating asthma and other breathing conditions.
- Feldenkrais: An exercise therapy that uses mindful movement, which is claimed to bring awareness and improve movement, sensation, posture and breathing.
- Homeopathy: A pseudoscientific practice that involves administering diluted substances that mimic the symptoms of disease to stimulate the body’s healing response.
- Iridology: A technique that involves examining a patient’s iris to evaluate their overall health.
- Kinesiology: A therapy that uses muscle monitoring to find imbalances in the body and relieve them.
- Reflexology: Massaging the feet in an attempt to release ‘blockages’ and promote wellness in other parts of the body.
- Rolfing: A technique that involves manipulating the connective tissue and soft tissue to improve balance in the body by aligning its ‘energy field’ with the Earth’s gravitational pull.
Insurers can still offer incentives to policyholders involving the excluded natural therapies (e.g., a voucher for a particular therapy as an incentive or bonus for becoming a member), as long as the incentive meets the private health insurance rules. Additionally, consumers can still access the excluded natural therapies outside the private health insurance system, but they will need to cover the full cost of the services.
What waiting periods apply for natural therapies?
The waiting periods that apply for natural therapies such as remedial massage or myotherapy, acupuncture and Chinese medicine can vary as part of extras policies for health insurance, but are likely to be between two and six months. You can speak to your health insurer if you are unsure about waiting periods that may apply if you’ve already taken out a policy.
