Insurance coverage for physiotherapy treatments
Physiotherapy treatments administered by a registered physiotherapist in BC are covered under extended healthcare plans (EHP), BC Medical Services Plan (MSP), and health trusts. They are also tax deductible. To claim your physiotherapy appointment with your insurer, you require a receipt with the physiotherapy practitioner’s registration number printed on it.
Claiming through ICBC?
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Physiotherapy and your extended health care plan
The majority of clients who seek physiotherapy treatments have coverage under their extended healthcare plans. These plans are usually provided by their place of employment. If your company does not provide this, you may still have coverage under your partner or spouse’s work plan. Physiotherapy, massage therapy, acupuncture or naturopathy are listed under the heading of “Paramedical” or “Supplementary Benefits”.
When assessing the treatment amount that is covered you will need to look closely at the wording. Some cover a percentage of the treatment with a maximum coverage for the year. Others may just have a maximum dollar amount they will cover, while others may just cover a certain amount of treatments. The best thing to do is ask your human resources person or you can call our clinic and talk to Mark. When you call make sure to have your plan in front of you.
MSP and Physiotherapy
The MSP covers a total of 10 treatments per calendar year. These treatments are shared between physiotherapy, massage therapy, acupuncture, naturopathy, chiropractic and non surgical podiatry. Each treatment is only covered for $23. For example, this means in a calendar year you could have 10 physiotherapy treatments or a combination of 5 massage therapy, 3 physiotherapy and 2 acupuncture and MSP will reimburse you $23.00 per treatment.
Health Trusts and Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy is also covered under a registered health trust. This is a federal program provided to those who do not have or cannot afford an extended health care plan. There is no maximum coverage or percentage paid as in an extended healthcare plan.
The requirement for coverage under this program is that the trust is registered with a licensed health trust provider and that it is a medical expense. This means it can cover a wide range of services or products; physiotherapy treatments, orthotics, cosmetic surgery and eye glasses.
Is a physiotherapy treatment personally tax deductible?
At the present time (2009) the government allows you to deduct any medical expenses that exceed 3% of your personal income. For example, if you had massage therapy, physiotherapy chiropractic, acupuncture, orthotics, etc, totaling $4500 for the year and you made $100,000 that year. Your tax deduction would be $1500.
We hope this has helped you gain a better understanding of the different coverage which may be available to you.