Dietetics and Health Insurance

If you’ve got extras cover and you’re not using it to see a dietitian, there’s a good chance you’re literally leaving money on the table – right next to your uneaten veggies.

Below is a clear run-through of how private health rebates work for dietetic services in Australia, what you can typically get back, and a handy chart of all Australian private health insurers so you know who to chase.

Why see a dietitian – and why now?

Accredited Practising Dietitians (APDs) are university-trained nutrition professionals accredited by Dietitians Australia. APD status is what private health funds and Medicare usually require before they’ll pay a rebate.

Seeing a dietitian can help with:

• Weight management (without fad diets)

• Diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease and other chronic conditions

• Gut issues (IBS, coeliac disease, food intolerances)

• Eating disorders and disordered eating (often alongside psychologists and GPs)

  
  

Australian sources like healthdirect and Dietitians Australia confirm that Medicare and/or private health insurance can cover part of the cost of dietitian consults – depending on your referral and policy.

So if you already pay for extras, using your dietitian benefit is one of the easiest ways to get real value (and better health) from your premium.

How private health rebates for dietitians actually work

a) You need extras cover, not just hospital

Rebates for dietitians come from general treatment / extras cover, not hospital cover. Dietetics usually sits under categories like:

• Dietetics

• Dietitian / dietary advice

• Nutrition & dietetics

Dietitians Australia notes that most private health funds cover visits to APDs in private practice, provided you have suitable extras cover.

b) You must see an APD (or recognised equivalent)

For a rebate, your practitioner must usually:

• Be an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD)

• Have a provider number recognised by your fund

Some funds also recognise specific nutritionists via approved registers, but the safest bet is to look for the APD tick.

c) How benefits are paid

Most funds use one of two models for dietitian consults:

1. Fixed dollar amount per visit + annual limit

   • e.g. HCF Vital Extras: pays $45 per dietitian consult, with an annual dietitian limit starting at $200 and rising to $400 per person after a few years of membership.

   • Teachers Health Top Extras: pays $60 back for the first 4 dietitian visits, then $40 for further visits, with a $400 annual limit per person.

2. Percentage back (e.g. 60%) + annual limit

   • HBF “Complete 60” Extras: pays 60% back on dietetics and nutrition consults with a combined annual limit of $500 for dietetics and related therapies.

     
     

Other funds (e.g. HBF Core Extras, HCF Top Extras, CBHS, Australian Unity) use similar structures: around $40–$60 back per consult on mid–high extras, and annual limits of roughly $200–$500 per person for dietetics within combined therapy limits.

In plain English: If a standard private consult is, say, $120–$180, it’s very common for a good extras policy to pay $40–$60 back each time until you hit your yearly limit.

Medicare vs private health – you can’t double dip

If you have a GP Chronic Disease Management Plan or an Eating Disorder Plan, you may be eligible for Medicare rebates on a limited number of dietitian sessions per year.

However, you cannot claim both Medicare and your private health fund for the same consult. This is a formal rule in the Medicare Benefits Schedule – patients can’t receive an MBS rebate and a private health insurance payment for the same service.

So for each session you normally choose:

• Use Medicare (if you have an eligible plan and want to minimise upfront cost); or

• Use private health extras (often more flexible and sometimes more generous per visit, especially once you’ve used up your Medicare sessions).

  
  

A good strategy (to discuss with your GP and dietitian) is often:

1. Use your GP care plan + Medicare items first.

2. Then switch to extras cover for ongoing support once Medicare sessions are used.

   
   

What you typically get back – with real examples

Here’s a quick snapshot from actual product fact sheets and insurer information:

• HCF Vital Extras – Dietitian: $45 per visit, annual limit $200 → $400 per person with loyalty increases.

• HCF Top Extras – Dietitian: $55 per visit, annual limit $250 → $500 per person over time.

• HBF Core Extras – Dietetics & Nutrition: $54 back for an initial consult, $32 for subsequent consults, with a $400 combined annual limit across several services.

• HBF Complete 60 Extras – for dietetics and nutrition, 60% back per consult up to a combined $500 annual limit for related therapies.

• Teachers Health / Uni Health Top Extras – Dietitian: $60 back for visits 1–4, $40 back from visit 5+, $400 annual limit per person.

From these and similar products, a reasonable ballpark for mid–high extras across the industry is:

Around $40–$60 back per dietitian consult, with yearly limits around $200–$500 per person.

Exact figures depend on your specific policy, state, and whether the consult is face-to-face or telehealth. Telehealth dietetics is now recognised and funded by many insurers after COVID-era reforms.

Chart: Australian private health insurers & dietitian rebate patterns

Below is a directory of all registered Australian private health insurers (from PrivateHealth.gov.au) and a summary of how dietitian rebates are typically structured on mid–high extras.

Important: Every insurer offers multiple products with different limits and rebate amounts. The figures below are industry-wide indications, not product-specific quotes. Always check your own fund (or comparison site) for exact dollar amounts before you book.

Key for “Indicative rebate pattern” column

• “Typical range” is based on examples from HCF, HBF, Teachers Health, Australian Unity and others.

• Your actual benefit can be higher or lower.

Insurer (registered name)	Type	Indicative dietitian rebate on mid–high extras***
ACA Health Benefits Fund	Restricted	Often a fixed dollar amount or % back per consult (commonly ~$40–$60 back with annual limits ~$200–$500 per person, policy-dependent).
ahm health insurance	Open	Dietetics covered on selected extras; typically a set benefit or % back per consult with an annual limit in the low hundreds of dollars per person.
AIA Health Insurance Pty Ltd	Open	Extras policies that include dietetics usually pay a fixed amount or % per visit within a combined therapies limit, often totalling a few hundred dollars per year.
Australian Unity Health Limited	Open	Extras such as “Top” or “Freedom” covers generally include dietetics with per-visit benefits and overall limits; many products list dietetics sub-limits around $200+ per year.
Bupa HI Pty Ltd	Open	Dietitian benefits vary by extras level; members may receive fixed-dollar rebates or % back per session, and additional dietitian coaching programs on higher covers.
CBHS Corporate Health Pty Ltd	Open	Corporate extras often pay set dollar benefits per consult for dietitians with combined therapy limits, typically in the hundreds of dollars per person per year.
CBHS Health Fund Limited	Restricted	Not-for-profit fund with extras that usually recognise APDs; rebates are generally fixed-amount per visit plus annual or combined limits for therapies.
CDH Benefits Fund	Open	Smaller regional fund; dietetics is usually grouped with other allied health, paying fixed benefits or % back per consult up to a modest annual limit.
Defence Health Limited	Restricted	Defence-focused fund; extras commonly include dietetics with fixed per-visit benefits and combined therapy limits in the low-to-mid hundreds of dollars per person.
Doctors’ Health Fund	Restricted	High-income medical membership; extras that include allied health generally provide set benefits for dietitians within a combined limit.
GMHBA Limited	Open	GMHBA extras products that include dietetics typically pay fixed amounts per consult or % back, with annual limits similar to other mid-tier funds.
GU Health	Open	Corporate cover specialist; dietitian benefits on extras are usually structured as % back or fixed amounts per session within higher-end corporate limits.
HBF Health Limited	Open	HBF extras (e.g. Core Extras, Complete 60, Top 70) provide $30–$60 back per consult or ~60% back, with combined annual limits around $400–$500+ for dietetics and related therapies.
HCF	Open	HCF Vital & Top Extras pay around $45–$55 per dietitian visit with annual limits stepping from $200 up to $500 per person as membership length increases.
HCi	Open	Regional fund; allied health including dietetics usually attracts fixed rebates per visit, with annual limits around a few hundred dollars per person.
Health Insurance Fund of Australia Limited (HIF)	Open	HIF extras (e.g. Essential Extras) offer dietetics within combined therapy limits (e.g. $400 combined with physio, chiro, etc.) and fixed per-visit benefits.
Health Partners	Open	Not-for-profit SA fund; extras that include dietetics typically provide set benefits per session within combined therapy limits for allied health.
Latrobe Health Services	Open	Extras products generally pay fixed amounts per visit for dietitian consults, subject to annual or combined limits of a few hundred dollars per person.
Medibank Private Limited	Open	Medibank My Choice and other extras covers include dietetics; benefits are usually fixed dollar amounts or % back per consult with annual limits in the low-to-mid hundreds.
Mildura Health Fund	Open	Regional not-for-profit; where dietetics is included, it’s usually under a combined therapies limit with fixed per-consult benefits.
National Health Benefits Australia Pty Ltd (onemedifund)	Open	onemedifund extras typically include dietetics as one of several therapies sharing annual limits, with fixed rebate amounts per session.
Navy Health Ltd	Restricted	Defence-focused fund; extras products commonly pay set per-consult amounts for dietitian visits within a combined therapies cap.
nib Health Funds Ltd.	Open	nib extras allow rebates for dietitians and some nutritionists; benefits are usually fixed dollar amounts or % back, plus access to partner discounts and online programs.
Peoplecare Health Insurance	Open	Peoplecare extras explicitly recognise dietetics and some registered nutritionists; rebates are set per visit, with annual limits shared across allied health.
Phoenix Health Fund Limited	Open	Smaller not-for-profit fund; extras that include dietetics usually provide fixed benefits per consult up to a modest annual limit.
Police Health	Restricted	Police-specific fund; members with extras can generally claim fixed benefits for dietitian visits under combined allied health limits.
Queensland Country Health Fund	Open	QCH extras policies that include dietetics pay fixed per-consult rebates within combined limits that sit broadly in the same hundreds-of-dollars-per-year band.
Reserve Bank Health Society Ltd	Restricted	RBA-staff fund; allied health extras that include dietitians typically provide fixed per-consult benefits up to an annual limit.
RT Health – a division of HCF	Open	As part of HCF, RT Health allied health benefits tend to mirror HCF-style fixed dollar amounts and annual limits for dietitians.
see-u by HBF	Open	see-u “Total Extras” includes dietetics & nutrition: e.g. $51 initial, $29 subsequent consults, with stepped annual limits for therapies.
St Lukes	Open	Tasmanian fund; extras policies including dietetics usually pay fixed per-visit rebates within combined allied health limits.
Teachers Health	Restricted	Top Extras covers dietitians with $60 back for visits 1–4 and $40 thereafter, plus a $400 annual limit per person.
TUH (Teachers Union Health)	Restricted	TUH extras policies that include dietetics typically pay fixed amounts per consult with annual limits aligned to other mid–high extras covers.
Westfund Limited	Open	Regional not-for-profit; extras including dietitians generally provide fixed benefit amounts per consult with annual limits in the low-to-mid hundreds of dollars.

***Indicative pattern only – exact rebates depend on your specific policy, level of cover, waiting periods, loyalty bonuses and whether services are billed through preferred provider networks.

How to maximise your dietitian rebate (without needing a PhD in policy fine print)

Here’s a simple three-step process you can use today:

Step 1 – Log in and search for “dietetics”

• Go to your fund’s member portal or app.

• Search your extras table for terms like “Dietetics”, “Dietitian”, “Dietary advice” or “Nutrition & dietetics”

• Note:

  • Per-visit benefit (e.g. $45 per consult or 60% back)

  • Annual / combined limit (e.g. $400 per person shared with physio, etc.)

  • Any waiting periods remaining

Step 2 – Ask your dietitian for a quote with item numbers

Before your first appointment, ask:

“Can you please email me a quote with the item numbers and fee so I can check my rebate with my health fund?”

Most funds will give you a benefit quote over the phone or via app once they know the item numbers.

Step 3 – Plan your year

Use what you find to plan:

• How many consults you can comfortably afford using your annual limit

• Whether to use Medicare first, then private health, or vice-versa

• Whether telehealth consults are rebated under your policy (many are now).

  
  

This turns your extras cover from “mystery line on a bill” into something you actually use and benefit from.

Other funding options alongside private health

Beyond private insurance, dietetic services in Australia may also be supported by:

• Medicare – via GP-managed care plans for chronic conditions and eating disorders.

• Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) – for eligible card holders.

• NDIS – under capacity-building or core supports, if nutrition support aligns with your goals.

• Compensation schemes – WorkSafe, TAC, Comcare and others may fund dietitian input as part of injury or illness management.

  
  

You don’t have to pick just one for life – you can mix funding sources over time (just not for the same session).

Bottom line: don’t waste your extras

• Most funds cover APD visits under extras.

• Typical mid-to-high extras policies pay around $40–$60 back per dietitian consult, with annual limits in the $200–$500 range.

• You can’t claim both Medicare and private health for the same appointment, but you can use each at different times of the year.

• Good nutrition support now can save you money, medication and stress later.

• 
  

If you’re already paying for extras, book that first session with an Accredited Practising Dietitian and let your health fund actually work for you for a change.

---

References & handy links:

• Dietetics Done Differently (Dietetics Done Differently)

• Dietitians Australia – Help with costs (Medicare, private health, NDIS, DVA, compensation).(Dietitians Australia)

• Dietitians Australia – Dietitians and nutritionists (APD status and roles).(Dietitians Australia)

• healthdirect – Dietitians (when to see one and cost overview).(Healthdirect)

• Medicare Benefits Schedule Note MN.3.1 / Item 10954 – rules on not claiming Medicare and private health for the same service.(Health.gov.au)

• PrivateHealth.gov.au – list of registered Australian private health insurers.(Private Health)

• HCF Vital & Top Extras product summaries – example dietitian rebates.

• HBF Core Extras & Complete 60 summaries, HBF dietitian articles – example rebates and 60% back structure.(HBF Health)

• Teachers Health / UniHealth Top Extras – dietitian benefit and limits.(teachershealth.com.au)

• HIF Essential Extras & Peoplecare dietetics information – examples of combined limits and recognition of nutritionists.(Private Health)