Bill: It can be complex. Question is, is Pilates covered by Medicare — no. However, Steve will elucidate.
Steve: Well, if your GP thinks that you need to have cover under the CDM or the Chronic Disease Management Program, if your GP refers you for physiotherapy, a physiotherapist may decide to use clinical pilates exercises as your physiotherapy treatment. So it’s not direct referral for pilates under the generic term. However, clinical pilates is a tool that a physiotherapist may or may not use. So, the roundabout way, it could be covered for up to five sessions, but I wouldn’t be referring people just for pilates as such. You would need to be discussing that with your GP and with your physiotherapist.
Bill: So would Medicare cover me for pilates at my local gym?
Steve: No.
Bill. Thank you.
