Medibank has provided an update on its plans to reintroduce approved natural therapy benefits following the Australian Government’s decision to reinstate these services.
Medibank has confirmed its ongoing commitment to this change and advised that it is currently targeting February 2027 for the reintroduction of approved non-mandatory natural therapy benefits into eligible products.
Medibank’s update is provided below:
“Medibank supports the Government’s decision to reinstate approved natural therapies and welcomes the opportunity to again provide benefits for these services to eligible members. Although health insurers are not required to reintroduce these benefits, Medibank has committed to doing so and remains fully committed to implementing this change.
At this stage, Medibank expects to reintroduce approved non-mandatory natural therapy benefits into eligible products by early 2027, with a current target of February 2027. Our commitment to reintroducing these therapies remains unchanged. The implementation timeline reflects the substantial work required to incorporate these therapies into a large and complex product portfolio. This work includes establishing provider recognition arrangements, updating products and systems, and revising the extensive customer, provider and operational materials that support our extras offering.
Our focus is on ensuring that when benefits are reintroduced, members and providers have a positive experience from day one and that the necessary product, provider and customer support processes are in place.
We appreciate that associations and practitioners are keen to see progress and understand that the timeline has been longer than many anticipated. This timing is not a reflection of Medibank’s support for these therapies or the practitioner community. Rather, it reflects the scale of implementation required, the need for careful planning and testing, and the balancing of this work with other organisational priorities and commitments.
Medibank remains committed to reintroducing these benefits and will continue to engage with professional associations and provide updates as key milestones and implementation dates become clearer.”
We recognise the importance of these benefits to our members and the broader practitioner community. We will continue advocating for our members and provide further updates as more information becomes available.
