Private health insurers' natural therapy rebates in the spotlight
The benefits paid are capped at $500 per person per year.
The review is administered by the Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) conducting the evidence review. Health funds were asked to identify the natural therapies for which they offered benefits. Submissions were sought from key stakeholders, primarily organisations representing natural health practitioners.
Submissions not subject to confidentiality restrictions will shortly appear on the DoHA Natural Therapy Review website. Some of these submissions are already in the public domain, such as those by the Australian Traditional-Medicine Society (ATMS) and the Australian Natural Therapists Association (ANTA).
The NHMRC is currently organising an overview of systematic reviews published between April 2008 and April 2013 for the natural therapies identified. Effectiveness, and where considered, the safety, quality and cost-effectiveness of the relevant therapy for a clinical condition will be assessed. A homeopathy review is already underway.
