Physiotherapy and Massage Therapy are covered under many extended health benefits plans. At each appointment, we provide you with a detailed receipt for you to submit to your insurance company.
Direct billing means we do the work for you to get payment from your insurance company. It's convenient for you, because you don't have pay us at your appointment (unless there's a portion of your treatment fee that your insurance company won't cover).
If your insurance plan does allow for direct billing, we can direct bill to the following insurance companies for both physiotherapy and massage therapy:
- AGA Financial Group Inc.
- Beneva
- Canada Life
- Canada Life - PSHCP
- Chambers of Commerce (Johnston Group)
- CINUP (Johnston Group)
- Claim Secure
- Coughlin & Associates Ltd.
- Cowan (Express Scripts Canada)
- D.A. Townley
- Desjardins Insurance
- Equitable
- First Canadian (Johnston Group)
- GroupHEALTH
- GroupSource
- Industrial Alliance
- Johnson Inc. (Express Scripts Canada)
- Johnston Group Inc.
- Manitoba Blue Cross
- Manulife
- Maximum Benefit (Johnston Group)
- People Corporation
- Sunlife
Insurance Coverage Tips for Clients:
- Physiotherapy is tax deductible, for those who qualify.
- Know your insurance plan! Every insurance plan is unique. Before your appointment, always check with your insurance provider whether your therapy is covered under your plan, and if there are any conditions. For example:
- Do you need a doctor's referral for your therapy to be covered by your insurance?
- Does your insurance only cover a certain number of treatments? If so, how many?
- Does your insurance coverage re-set every year? If so, does that 'year' start January 1, or another day?
- Does your insurance cover group classes led by a physiotherapist, or only one-to-one appointments with a physiotherapist?
- Does your insurance cover physiotherapy, massage therapy, or both?
- If your injury is work-related, make sure to bring your Worker's Compensation Board claim number to your first appointment.
- If your injury is the result of a motor vehicle accident, make sure to bring your Manitoba Public Insurance bodily injury claim number to your first appointment.
- Have you recently had a hip or knee replacement? The Government of Manitoba may cover the cost of your physiotherapy at our clinic after your surgery. We direct bill the government for you. Learn more here.
Not Enough Insurance Coverage?
Is your insurance coverage not getting you the physiotherapy you need? Get involved in making a change.
If you're frustrated the government doesn't pay for your physiotherapy, you're not alone. Currently, there is very limited physiotherapy provided in hospitals in Manitoba, since significant cuts were made by the Manitoba Government in 2017. In the community (i.e. outside of hospitals) there is government coverage for only a few body parts and surgeries. For example, the government will cover a limited number of physiotherapy appointments for rehabilitation from total hip & knee replacement surgery, or from hand surgery.
We encourage you to write to your MLA and urge them to expand government healthcare funding for all types of physiotherapy.
And don't feel bad about asking for more government spending. We should all be aware: physiotherapy actually reduces the cost of healthcare to the tax payer. By ensuring people recover quickly from their injury, or manage safely at home with their health condition, physiotherapy reduces:
- Trips to the emergency room, urgent care, and to family doctors
- The incidence of acute injuries from becoming chronic
- Repeated injuries
- Workplace absences due to injury and pain
- The need for pain drug prescription, and consequently pain drug side-effects
Want the hard numbers on how physiotherapy reduces costs to the taxpayer? In 2024, Deloitte and the Canadian Physiotherapy Association commissioned a study to get the numbers. Read that report here: The Economic Impact of Physiotherapy in Canada.
If you have private insurance and it's just not enough, it's usually your employer who chooses your private insurance plan and how much physiotherapy it includes. Consider letting them know you need more coverage for physiotherapy, to get back to work or to get back to what you need to do in everyday life. They may have no idea your insurance plan just isn't enough.
