On January 1, 2020, physiotherapy was de-listed by the government from the British Columbia Medical Services Plan (MSP), meaning that the majority of people in BC must pay for physiotherapy through extended health benefits, their own money, or a combination of the two.
However, some people may be eligible to access financial support through MSP supplementary benefits. Visit the BC Government’s website on Supplementary Benefits to learn more.
Those who may be eligible for MSP coverage of these supplementary benefit services include:
For these MSP beneficiaries, MSP contributes $23 per visit for a combined annual limit of 10 visits each calendar year for the following services from approved providers: acupuncture, chiropractic, massage therapy, naturopathy, physical therapy and non-surgical podiatry. MSP does not provide any coverage for supplementary benefits received outside of the province.
For more information on accessing or applying for Supplementary Benefits, please read here:
To be eligible for Supplementary Benefits, you must:
Eligibility for Supplementary Benefits is based on your net income from last year as confirmed by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) (or combined net income for you and your spouse), less deductions for:
The amount left is called “adjusted net income.” If it is less than $42,000, your family may qualify for Supplementary Benefits.
You only need to apply once if you:
Eligibility for Supplementary Benefits may be impacted if you do not file your taxes each year with CRA or if you do not update your MSP account if you marry or begin living in a marriage-like relationship. For information on combining or linking accounts, see Adding and Removing Dependants.
Should you qualify for premium assistance, you can partially bill any physiotherapy treatments directly to your Medical Services Plan. MSP will make contributions to 10 treatments. These 10 treatments include other health providers that may be helping you with your rehabilitation, not just the physiotherapy treatments. There is also an additional $45 user fee for subsequent physiotherapy sessions to be paid at each visit by the patient.
At Regain Health Centre, MSP Premium Assistance is currently available in the physiotherapy and active rehabilitation / kinesiology.
Please be advised that we are not offering MSP Premium Assistance coverage other than the above two services. MSP coverage is only for individuals with Premium Assistance (i.e. the BC Government pays your monthly MSP premium). Those with employer benefits or not under premium assistance do NOT qualify for MSP coverage. Our reception staff would be happy to check with MSP to see if you qualify for MSP coverage. MSP coverage is limited to 10 visits per calendar year (inclusive of massage therapy, chiropractic and optometry visits).
Let our professional physical therapist help you today. Don’t let a minor ache become a major injury.