5 things naturopaths need to know about Private Health Insurance rebates
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Far from being an April Fool, Private Health Insurance (PHI) rebates have been reinstated seven years to the day after we lost it,
Kind of! As of mid-April 2026, only a few minor funds have come on board but most of the big ones are still dragging their feet
Five things naturopaths and herbalists need to know and PHI rebates
There is a large cohort of practitioners who graduated in the past seven years and have never dealt with PHI rebates. But there are also significant changes since we last had rebate status in 2019.
- You must belong to a recognised professional association and meet their full membership requirements in order to offer PHI rebates to your clients. Basically health funds outsource the leg work to associations. If you meet all the requirements (eg insurance, first aid, working with children certification, appropriate qualifications, CPD, etc) your association liaises with the insurers on your behalf and issues your provider number.
- Once you have a provider number (which hopefully is now universal unlike the ‘old days’ when different funds sometimes required their own unique number), you still need to provide your client with a digital receipt that includes provider information and appropriate item number for the service.
- Some services may fall outside the item number criteria and can’t be rebated. It’s up to the practitioner to know the rules.
- Even when services are prepaid, for PHI purposes you can’t issue your client a receipt until after the consultation.
- Always keep up-to-date treatment and payment records as funds routinely audit service providers to enforce strict compliance requirements. Breaches can result in recouping of wrongly paid monies or even suspension of provider status.
Contact your association for further details or any questions regarding PHI rebates.
[All information is correct as of April 2026]
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