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Update 17th April 2025:
The Australian government has announced the removal of the ban on private health insurance rebates for 7 natural therapies, as listed below.
- Naturopathy
- Western herbal medicine
- Yoga
- Pilates
- Tai Chi
- Shiatsu
- and Alexander Technique.
Read the official announcement from the Health Minister, Mark Butler here.
This significant breakthrough aligns with our ongoing efforts to advocate for the naturopathic profession and improve access to natural therapies. Late last year we created an Independent Policy Paper based on the Health Technology Assessment by the World Naturopathic Federation. Underscoring the substantial and growing evidence base for naturopathy, this white paper explored the positive impact naturopathy can have on key government health priorities, including women’s health.
We’re encouraged to see the restoration of rebates which will benefit both Practitioners and patients, going a long way towards highlighting the importance of preventive healthcare as Australia ages and our healthcare burden increases.
We would like to recognise the tireless efforts of many in our industry who have worked towards this announcement and thank them for their commitment. Although this announcement is a wonderful recognition of the profession of naturopathy in Australia, we are not done yet. This is a vital first step towards our end goal of lifting the embargo on private health rebates. The next step is for individual health funds to review their policy inclusions.
Our mission at Metagenics is to help as many people as possible live happier, healthier lives, and our partnership with Practitioners is central to achieving this. We are proud to be a leading advocate for the natural health industry, and we look forward to keeping you abreast of our efforts in this space.
Because together, we can adapt, thrive, and build a stronger natural health industry.
Update 7th April 2025:
Our mission at Metagenics is to help as many people as possible live happier, healthier lives and our partnership with practitioners is central to achieving this.
We have been working in the background with government and industry groups on two key areas that we feel is key to the Naturopathic profession:
- Advocating the vital role of the naturopathic profession in addressing the current health crisis.
- Lifting the embargo on Private Health Rebates.
Late last year we created an Independent Policy Paper based on the HTA (Health Technology Assessment by the World Naturopathic Federation) which underscored the substantial and growing evidence base for Naturopathy. This white paper explored the extensive evidence base of Naturopathy and its potential impact on key Government health priorities, including Women’s Health.
We would like to recognise that there have been many in our industry working tirelessly towards today’s announcement and thank them for their commitment.
Although this announcement is a wonderful recognition of the profession of Naturopathy in Australia we are not done yet. This is a vital first step towards our end goal of lifting the embargo on Private Health Rebates.
Restoring rebates will benefit both practitioners and patients and go a long way towards highlighting the importance of preventive healthcare as Australia ages and our healthcare burden increases.
Metagenics is leading a comprehensive campaign to advocate for Naturopathy to the Federal Government, highlighting the benefits of Naturopathic services and seeking to increase accessibility for more people.
We are proud to be a leading advocate for the natural health industry and we look forward to keeping you abreast of our efforts in this space.
Because together, we can adapt, thrive and build a stronger natural health industry.
Update 4th September 2024:
In recognition of Women's Health Week (2-6 September 2024), we are eager to update you on the progress of our Naturopath Advocacy Campaign. This week, Paula Hann (Regional VP Australia & New Zealand) is meeting with 5 senior advisors of key government and opposition ministers of various national health, science and business departments.
This comes as an exciting next step after our submission of the 'Naturopathy Policy Paper' to the Victorian Government's Inquiry into Women's Pain in July, which sets out the extensive evidence base for Naturopathy in supporting preventive health outcomes, with a particular focus on Women’s Health. This is available by request from your Metagenics Territory Manager.
We will continue to keep you updated as we progress on this journey together to raise the profile and recognition of Naturopathy and it’s important role in Australian Healthcare.
Update 26th August 2024:
In May’s Federal Budget, a significant boost in funding was allocated to various activities to enhance preventative healthcare, with a particular focus on women’s health.
Metagenics is leading a comprehensive campaign to advocate for Naturopathy to the Federal Government, highlighting the benefits of Naturopathic services and seeking to increase accessibility for more people.
We are also actively engaging at a State level with the Victorian Government, who launched ‘The Inquiry into Women’s Pain’ earlier this year. This month, we submitted a compelling report highlighting the current role of Naturopathy in managing women’s pain and its potential to contribute more significantly.
In collaboration with professional industry associations, we are focusing on two key policy changes to support Naturopathic services at both Federal and State levels:
- Including Qualified Naturopaths in Healthcare System Reviews, Policy Development, and Decision-Making: Ensuring that Naturopaths have a voice in shaping healthcare policies.
- Promoting the Recent Health Technology Assessment (HTA) by the World Naturopathic Federation: This assessment underscores the substantial and growing evidence base for Naturopathy.
We are also supporting the reinstatement of evidence based Naturopathic services within the scope of private health insurance cover, which is currently under review in the NTREAP process - due by the end of the year.
We have created an Independent Policy Paper based on the HTA, exploring the extensive evidence base of Naturopathy and its potential impact on key Government health priorities, including Women’s Health. This is available by request from your Metagenics Territory Manager.
We continue to promote the mainstream health role of the profession as well as emphasising the key contributions to preventive health and women’s health.
Update from Paula Hann 25th July 2024:
Our mission at Metagenics is to help as many people as possible live happier, healthier lives and our partnership with practitioners is central to achieving this.
With that as our focus, we wanted to take an opportunity to share more detail on Metagenics’ efforts to advocate for the sector, and for you, our valued Healthcare Practitioner partners.
We recognise the significant impact of the removal of rebates for Natural Therapies from Private Health Insurance. Our recent State of the Industry survey revealed that 60% of participants experienced a direct negative impact on their businesses.
To address this challenge and drive a resurgence of patients for the industry, we see two clear opportunities:
- Attracting Government Attention: We believe the naturopathic profession can play a vital role in addressing the current national health crisis. Advocating for its recognition and support is crucial.
- Lift the Embargo on Private Health Rebates: Restoring rebates will benefit both practitioner and patients.
The current landscape presents significant opportunities to advocate for the sector and we wanted to let you know that we are taking measurable steps to drive meaningful conversations in this space, on your behalf.
The 2024-25 Budget highlights women’s health and preventative care as strategic priorities. This provides an excellent platform to engage with the Australian government. We aim to open a meaningful dialogue with key stakeholders, emphasising the positive impact naturopathy can have on real healthcare solutions.
We have been working closely with a leading public affairs agency to develop a position paper that clearly demonstrates the role and vast benefits of naturopathy, while highlighting the significant body of evidence that exists to support the modality in the specific areas of preventative and women’s healthcare.
We look forward to sharing this paper with you all in due course, but for now, our aim is to open up a meaningful dialogue with key government stakeholders, to help raise awareness of the positive impact the naturopathic profession can have on delivering real solutions to the current healthcare crisis, while helping them achieve priority policy outcomes in the areas of preventative and women’s health – and of course driving benefit for the naturopathic profession.
We are proud to be a leading advocate for the natural health industry and we look forward to keeping you abreast of our efforts in this space.
Because together, we can adapt, thrive and build a stronger natural health industry.