Other sources of treatment and management

The disease expenditure database does not include costs for allied health where the service was not funded through the MBS. Some of this information is available through the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority for private health insurance claims. Due to data availability, this does not include age, sex, or condition being managed. Spending estimates include out of pocket costs and benefits paid.

Physiotherapy, chiropractic, acupuncture/acupressure, and osteopathic services are commonly used to treat sports injuries, and $1.7 billion was spent on these services through private health insurance in 2018-19 (but not necessarily related to sports injuries). Almost $900 million was spent on physiotherapy. A range of conditions outside of physical activity injuries are treated and managed in these settings, and spending on these services should be interpreted with this in mind.

Table 12: Spending on allied health services through private health insurance, 2018-19.

This bar chart shows total spending for physiotherapy, chiropractic, acupuncture/acupressure, and osteopathic services.

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