What Effect the Granting of Medicare to Psychologists Has On the Viability of Hypnosis to the Public

HypnosisAustralia, October 2004

By Dr Tracie O'Keefe DCH, Clinical Hypnotherapist, Psychotherapist & Counsellor
Editorial Director of HypnosisAustralia Online.

There are generally two kinds of clients who seek hypnosis from the varied range of professionals offering hypnosis. The first is seeking relief from what they believe is a very debilitating problem that they may have and are seeking to do that in the cheapest way possible. The second kind of the client is seeking to improve their life. This may also mean that they are seeking relief from a problem but it can also mean that they see the therapy as improving their life. Each group of client comes with their own mindsets.

The first group may have health insurance or not and if they do they will be seeking full reimbursement from the insurance company. They may also be seeking reimbursement from Medicare to cover the cost of treatment if they can possibly get that to happen. Currently only medical doctors who practise hypnosis can provide hypnosis so the client can get a rebate on Medicare. However, under the new funding for psychologists introduced in 2004 whereby clients can claim for their psychological services through Medicare, psychologists can provide hypnosis to their clients, provided they are registered psychologists with the Australian Psychological Society, if that treatment is part of a group plan devised by a general practitioner.

The second group of clients are more motivated towards the treatment itself with fewer issues about whether they will be able to get a rebate for the therapies even if they have insurance. These clients are more goal-focused and organise their lives and finances to be able to prioritise the therapy and pay for those services. They are not necessarily any wealthier than the first group of clients - some of them may even be on welfare - but they are certainly more motivated towards resolution as quickly as possible. In the long run this group of clients generally do better in therapy because they are more goal-focused.

The first group of clients will shop around until they find the cheapest option for treatment, which will sometimes be provided by practitioners less qualified in hypnosis and more qualified in medicine or psychology. The second group of clients are more likely to go directly to practitioners identifying themselves as hypnotherapists and this group of practitioners are more likely to be better skilled in hypnosis but their fees may only occasionally be refunded by insurance companies.

It is unfortunate that hypnotherapists in Australia and other countries have not organised themselves sufficiently to be able to apply for Medicare rebates for their clients. Perhaps as governments and insurance companies demand greater validation of professions, as a profession hypnotherapy may quantify itself better in the future. In the meantime the public gains by being able to get hypnotherapy from psychologists and medical practitioners on the Medicare system, but loses in the fact that the most qualified professionals in hypnosis - the hypnotherapists - are still only accessible by private medicine with occasional private insurance rebates.

The granting of rebates to clients seeking hypnosis from psychologists via the Medicare system is, however, flawed. A client has to be suffering from a condition of six months duration or likely to be of six months duration. The overworked general practitioner has to fill out a patient care plan in co-ordination with two other healthcare professionals, both of whom have to be in agreement. The client, having managed to negotiate this over-complicated system, can only claim back around $44.00 per session, for five sessions only. The true cost to Medicare in unnecessary paperwork and waste of professionals' time is likely to run into hundreds of dollars in excess of the amount claimed back.

Since this system is likely to be aimed at people who are seriously ill, is it realistic to expect that five sessions will be sufficient to support their long-term needs? Surely this is a government putting the screws on the coffers and totally misunderstanding that the money they think they will be saving will, in the long run, cost more.

©HypnosisAustralia, October 2004