17. How can I pay for massage therapy?
Many people pay for massage therapy through an insurance plan. When paying through an insurance plan, some massage therapists will bill directly while others will require payment from the client who then submits the claim to their insurance provider. Ask your Massage Therapist prior to initiating treatment.
Some insurance plans may require a physician's referral prior to the start of massage therapy treatments while others allow treatment without referrals. Most plans have a maximum amount available.
The following is a summary of reimbursement options available:
- - Employer Sponsored Extended Health Insurance Plans, which may be administered by private companies
- - Consumer Purchased Extended Health Insurance Plans
- - Veterans Affairs Canada, in the case of war veterans
- - Private Automobile Insurance Companies, in the case of clients who are victims of motor vehicle accidents (under authority of the Auto Insurance Rate Stability Act, 1996)
- - The Work Place Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), in the case of workers injured on a work site (under the authority of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997)
- - The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (for members of the RCMP)
- - Transportation to a massage therapy office may also be reimbursed to persons who qualify under the Ontario Disability Support Programme.
Most Massage Therapists are required to collect and remit the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) and must advise clients when this is the case.