Claiming Mental Health Treatment with Bupa in 2024

Bupa does cover some mental health services, so if you are seeking counselling or any type of mental health service please read this article to ensure you don't needlessly pay.

Psychologists, psychotherapists and counsellors may all be covered by your Bupa plan. If you are unsure what the difference is between all these types of therapists, then check out our blog post explaining the distinctions.

Table of Contents

• Do Bupa extras cover online therapy?

• What's covered?

• Which Bupa policy covers mental health rebates (psychology and counselling)?

• How much is the Bupa psychology claim and the counselling claim?

• How do I use Bupa extras to claim the cost back?

• When do I need to make a claim?

• Can I claim a psychologist fee on Bupa and Medicare?

• Where can I find Bupa approved therapists?

• Easily claim Bupa psychology rebates with Talked

Do Bupa extras cover online therapy?

Sure does! Online therapy is providing a lot of help and support for people who may not have had access to such services, so Bupa recognises this and provides cover for it.

It is important to check what mental health services are covered under your extras. You can check this in your Bupa account.

What's covered?

In order for Bupa to cover the cost (or part of the cost) of your therapy session, the therapist must meet their criteria and be approved by Bupa. You can not book any therapist and expect to claim the cost back, even if you are covered for the service.

We've made it easy for you to see the therapists that are Bupa approved, so if you book with one of these therapists you will be able to claim your Bupa extras cover and claim the cost back. We will explain how you can do this in a bit.

In addition to choosing an approved therapist you must also check that your Bupa cover includes mental health services. Bupa extras normally pays towards the cost of psychology, counselling and digital mental health under the mental health category on most extras and packaged covers, but it's always good to check. Use the link below to log in to your Bupa account and check whether your Bupa extras covers mental health.

Check my Bupa Cover >

Which Bupa policy covers mental health rebates (psychology and counselling)?

If after you have checked your Bupa Cover and you are still unsure whether your Bupa insurance policy covers psychology or counselling rebates, do not stress, we can help. If you do not have a policy extra that covers mental health services, we have listed some of the extras packages offer by Bupa that does: 

• FLEXtras 

• Freedom 60 Boost Extras

• Wellness Extras 

• Super Extras 

• Super Extras Active 

• Top Extras 

• Top Extras Boost 

Please note Core3 Extras do not cover psychology rebates, counselling rebates nor provide mental health cover.

Some extras only cover for mental health services include: 

• Gold Ultimate Health Cover 

• Silver Plus Prime 

• Bronze Plus Young Couples Choice  

• Bronze Plus Young Singles Choice 

• Basic Plus Young Couples Saves 

• Basic Plus Young Singles Saver 

• Basic Plus Active Saver  

If you are looking to obtain Bupa extras cover to claim psychology rebates, make sure to check that the cover includes "Mental Health (inc. Psychology)" in the policy details. Another important detail is to check how much will be provided under the yearly limit.

How much is the Bupa psychology claim and the counselling claim?

The amount you’ll receive back through Bupa depends on the details of your cover. We recommend that you view the full PDF of your extras cover so you can understand how the policy works.

You can get an estimate for your claim online my logging into myBupa: 

1. Login to your myBupa account. You’ll need your membership number, email address and phone number to do this.

2. Select ‘Get an estimate’ from the homepage. 

3. Select the type of service you’re looking for e.g. Mental Health and choose which person the claim is for. 

4. Enter your provider number if you know who your provider is going to be. Otherwise select ‘no’ and continue. 

5. Enter the date and type of treatment you’ll receive, as well as the estimated cost of the treatment if you already know what the amount will be. 

6. Click ‘Submit’ to view your claim estimate. 

When choosing your Bupa extras cover, we recommend you look at the following:

Waiting Period – Bupa extras policies often have a waiting period. A waiting period is a period of time where you won’t receive any benefits from Bupa for treatment received. As of the time of preparing this article, Bupa has a waiting period of two months before you can access psychology or counselling rebates. If you are considering starting with Bupa, the have previously run promotions which waive this waiting period.

Yearly Limit – The Yearly Limit is the maximum amount that a Bupa member can claim per calendar year. This limit changes according to the extras cover that you take out so make sure you choose the appropriate amount for your circumstances. For example under a Super Extras Active extras policy the maximum yearly limit is $300. This means only $300 worth of psychology or counselling rebates can be applied for.

Percentage of session – Bupa will cover a percentage of the session that you book with a psychologist or counsellor up until you reach the yearly limit for your extras cover. Bupa rebates can reach up to 60% meaning that you can claim up to 60% of the cost of you psychology sessions.

To put this into practice, if your Bupa mental health extras cover up to 60% and you book a low cost Talked psychologist for $120, you would receive $72 back. These rebates will continue to be paid until your yearly limit has been reached e.g. up to $300 or over 4 psychology sessions. 

How do I use Bupa extras to claim the cost back?

When you book your session you will be required to pay for it upfront. After your session, you'll be provided with an invoice which you can then use to submit a claim to Bupa.

If you book a therapist through the Talked platform then you'll simply be able to log in to your account and download the invoice. The invoice is automatically populated with the exact information Bupa require, including the therapist's provider number.

Once you have your invoice you can log in to your Bupa account, select "make a claim" from the menu options, upload the invoice and click submit. We have set out the process in 7 simple steps:

1. Download the myBupa app from your app store or login to your Bupa account online. 

2. After logging into your account, simply choose the "make a claim" option.

3. From the options available, select the mental health service used (psychology or counselling).

4. Enter the provider number. This number is automatically populated on the invoice that Talked sends you after a completed session, as discussed above, you can also log in to your account and download the invoice.

5. You will be prompted to include the details of your treatment. This will include the date of your session and how much the session cost.

6. Bupa will then ask you to confirm your claim. 

7. You must ensure that you review the submitted information to ensure a smooth claiming process. Reach out to Bupa's support team if you have any questions before clicking "submit". 

When do I need to make a claim?

If you want to ensure that you can claim your psychology or counselling rebate from Bupa, we recommend that you submit your claim as soon as you have completed your session. However, Bupa allows claims to be submitted within two years from the date that your therapy sessions was held. This policy may change over time so ensure that you check that this is applies.

Like Bupa, Medicare also allows for claims to be submitted within two years of the psychology session. However, unlike Bupa, Talked can submit and process Medicare rebates on your behalf. Learn more on our Medicare page.

Can I claim a psychologist fee on Bupa and Medicare?

To find out if you’re eligible for a Medicare rebate, you must talk with your GP. The process can be a bit confusing, but check out our article on Medicare to learn more.

If you are eligible for Medicare, there may still be a gap fee depending on the fees charged by the psychologist, your Bupa extras may help pay this gap depending on the level of cover you have.

Where can I find Bupa approved therapists?

We've made it super easy for you to find and connect with a Bupa approved therapist online. You can browse our list of Bupa approved therapists, book a session and connect with them via our secure video service. For more information, our Bupa FAQ should help.

Easily claim Bupa psychology rebates with Talked

As we have covered in this article, Bupa has made mental health one of its top priorities and by doing so has made it possible for its members to claim rebates from psychology and counselling sessions.

Talked ensures that claiming Bupa psychology rebates from a Bupa approved therapist is as easy as a click of a button. After your appointment, we will provide you with an invoice containing all the information you need to claim back the cost.

Not with Bupa? Don't worry, we have your back. After you see your therapist, claim your mental health rebate from ahm, Medibank, Police Health, CUA Health, Doctors Health, nib, HBF, HCF, CBHS Health, Australian Unity, GMHBA, Peoplecare and many more private health insurers.