- Home
- Does My Insurance Cover Physiotherapy? Blue Cross, Sun Life, Canada Life and Others
Does my insurance cover physiotherapy? Blue Cross, Sun Life, Canada Life and others
Most extended-health plans in Alberta cover physiotherapy, but the plan sets the limit, not the insurer. Two people with Blue Cross can have different coverage. The three numbers to find are your yearly maximum, your per-visit maximum, and whether a doctor’s referral is required for reimbursement.
Book An Appointment
Let’s Take the Next Step Together
The short answer
Physiotherapy is a standard paramedical benefit in Canadian group health plans, so if you have coverage through an employer, a union or a personal plan, physiotherapy is very likely included. What varies is how much. Your employer chose the plan design, and the insurer administers it, which is why the same insurer can cover $300 a year for one person and $1,500 for another.
Every plan answers three questions, and you can find all three in your benefits booklet or the insurer’s app:
- Yearly maximum: the total the plan pays for physiotherapy in a benefit year. Commonly a few hundred to over a thousand dollars.
- Per-visit limit: either a percentage of each visit (often 80 or 100 percent) or a dollar cap per visit, or both.
- Referral rule: Alberta does not require a doctor’s referral to see a physiotherapist, but some plans require one before they reimburse. Ask before your first visit.
Next Step direct-bills many insurers, which means we submit the claim for you at the visit and you pay only what the plan does not cover. The mechanics are explained on our direct billing and insurance page. Below is what to expect from the plans we see most often in Mill Woods.
Alberta Blue Cross
Alberta Blue Cross administers many employer plans in Edmonton as well as individual plans and the Alberta government’s own employee benefits. Most Blue Cross group plans include physiotherapy under paramedical or extended health benefits, with a yearly maximum set by the employer. Some plans share one combined maximum across physiotherapy, massage therapy and chiropractic; others give each its own limit, so check which type you have.
What to check: your yearly physiotherapy maximum, whether it is a combined or separate limit, and whether your plan asks for a physician’s referral. The Blue Cross member site and app show your remaining balance in real time.
Next Step direct-bills Alberta Blue Cross. Bring your Blue Cross ID number to your first visit and we submit the claim while you are here.
Sun Life
Sun Life group plans typically cover physiotherapy as a paramedical benefit with a yearly maximum and, in many plans, a per-visit dollar cap. A number of Sun Life plans require a doctor’s referral for physiotherapy claims to be paid, so this is the plan where checking the referral rule first saves the most trouble.
What to check: yearly maximum, per-visit cap, and the referral requirement, all shown in the my Sun Life app under coverage details.
Next Step direct-bills Sun Life. Direct billing to Sun Life is processed through the provider portal at the time of your visit.
Canada Life
Canada Life (which absorbed Great-West Life plans) covers physiotherapy on most group plans under paramedical services. Plan designs vary widely: some pay 100 percent to a modest yearly maximum, others pay 80 percent to a higher one. Some Canada Life plans also set a reasonable-and-customary per-visit amount and reimburse up to that figure.
What to check: the yearly maximum, the reimbursement percentage, and whether a referral is needed. The GroupNet member site lists all three.
Next Step direct-bills Canada Life.
Manulife, Green Shield, Medavie, Desjardins and others
The same three questions apply to every other carrier. Manulife, Green Shield Canada, Medavie Blue Cross, Desjardins, Co-operators, Empire Life and the other major carriers all cover physiotherapy on most group plans within a yearly limit.
Next Step currently direct-bills Alberta Blue Cross, Sun Life, Canada Life, Manulife, Green Shield, Medavie Blue Cross, Desjardins, Co-operators, Empire Life, Quikcard, Claims Xchange and People Corporation, among others. If your insurer is not on the list, we give you a detailed receipt to submit yourself, and most insurers reimburse within a few business days.
How direct billing works at Next Step
Bring your insurance card or the plan and member ID numbers from your app. At the end of the visit we submit the claim electronically and the insurer tells us within seconds what it will pay. You pay the difference, if any, before you leave.
Three things can cause a claim to come back rejected: the plan requires a referral you have not provided yet, your yearly maximum is used up, or the plan does not allow direct billing to clinics. In each case you pay for the visit and we give you a receipt to claim back whatever the plan allows.
If you have two plans. Coordination of benefits lets you claim the balance from a second plan, usually a spouse’s. Your own plan pays first; the second plan covers some or all of what is left. We can direct-bill the first plan and give you a receipt showing the remaining balance for the second.
If you have no coverage
At Next Step, a physiotherapy assessment is $135 and a follow-up visit is $95. Our complete fee list is on the physiotherapy cost page. Physiotherapy fees are also an eligible medical expense for the federal medical expense tax credit, so keep your receipts.
If you were hurt at work or in a car accident, a different route applies and you usually pay nothing at the visit: see WCB physiotherapy and motor vehicle accident physiotherapy. Alberta Health funds physiotherapy only in a few situations, explained on our Alberta Health coverage page.
To book, call (587) 855-4559 or use the online booking form. No referral is needed.
Clinically reviewed by Roopreet Kaur, Registered Physiotherapist, Next Step Physio & Neurorehab Clinic. Last reviewed October 2026.
FAQ
Checking your plan
Do I need a doctor's referral for insurance to cover physiotherapy?
Alberta does not require a referral to see a physiotherapist. Some insurance plans require one before they will reimburse. Check your benefits booklet or ask your insurer before your first visit.
Does Blue Cross cover physiotherapy in Alberta?
Most Alberta Blue Cross group plans cover physiotherapy within the plan's yearly maximum. The amount depends on the plan your employer chose, so check your own coverage details.
How do I find my physiotherapy maximum?
Log in to your insurer's member site or app and look under paramedical or extended health benefits. It lists the yearly maximum, the percentage covered, and how much you have left.
Billing and payment
Can the clinic bill my insurance directly?
Yes, for the insurers listed on this page. Bring your plan and member ID numbers and we submit the claim at your visit.
What if my plan only covers part of the visit?
You pay the difference at the visit. We tell you the amount before you leave.
Can I use two insurance plans for physiotherapy?
Yes. Your own plan pays first and the second plan, often a spouse's, can cover some or all of the remaining balance.
