Is Myofascial Release Covered by Insurance?
The short answer is yes AND no.
Myofascial Release is a tool in a toolbox of many other techniques like craniosacral therapy, postural correction, exercise prescription, soft tissue techniques and other manual therapies that our therapists will use, in combination, to address your physical pain and dysfunction.
The role that insurance plays in ambulatory healthcare (outpatient aka outside of hospital/OHIP care) is very specific. Your insurance plan provided by employee benefits or even a private benefits plan that you pay out of pocket for has a very explicit set of terms and spending limits regarding what they will and will not reimburse you for.
Generally, these plans are often very limited in how much they will pay per visit and for how long. Their rates often don’t reflect the current rates most licensed therapists are charging, especially considering the recent cost of inflation, and almost never cover enough visits for you to actually reach your treatment goals.
So YES, your insurance may cover SOME of your treatment plan under the licensed therapist you have chosen, but NO you are not ‘better’ just because your insurance dollars ran out.
This mindset is not only harmful to your overall health; it also means you are less likely to actually use the insurance that you are constantly paying into. Your insurance company is banking on this.
So many clients think “I’ll save my coverage for when I really need it.” And then they get to the end of the year and realized they haven’t used ANY!
Imagine if we did this with our cars; if we didn’t do any maintenance on them until something fails like the brakes or transmission and we just let the tires go bald…
Sure the car may still be driveable until then, but how is it driving? Is there more damage occurring under the surface that we can’t see?
The goal of being proactive about your overall health is to PREVENT your body and it’s systems from failing.
Myofascial Release as a treatment is an excellent tool for this since your fascial system of connective tissue supports every single cell/tissue type in your body. So keeping your fascia healthy and happy is keeping your body and its tissue happy and healthy contributing to your overall wellness.
Our advice?
Treat your insurance as something that’s nice to have, like a coupon
Use it before it expires to save you the price tag of injury or illness now so you don’t have to foot the bill for a debilitating injury in the future
Empower yourself! Call your insurance company to find out exactly what is covered and how much before booking treatments
Don’t rely on direct billing to figure your coverage out for you
Find the right treatment for you and utilize your coverage for Physiotherapy, Registered Massage Therapy and Osteopathy
Follow the advice of your professionally educated therapist with years of experience as to how long you should continue treatment