Mark Butler will bring back private health cover for alternative medicine ‘as soon as possible’

The Minister for Health and Aged Care said the government made the decision before announcing the election.

The Federal Government has agreed to lift the ban on private health insurers funding naturopathy, yoga, Western herbal medicine and tai chi, says the Minister for Health and Aged Care.

It follows a review of alternative medicine evidence led by former RACGP president Professor Michael Kidd.

The review started in 2019 — mere days after the ban was put in — but only reported this year.

Professor Kidd’s team recommended letting insurers fund seven alternative therapies but to maintain the ban on nine others, including aromatherapy, homeopathy and rolfing.