Homeopathic Consultation, Fees & Insurance

Canadian Society of Homeopaths

HOMEOPATHIC CONSULTATION,
FEES & INSURANCE

HOME >>ABOUT HOMEOPATHY

What Will My Homeopath Want to Know?

An initial interview with a classical homeopath will usually take up to two hours. You will be asked for detailed information about your physical, mental, and emotional health and your personal likes and dislikes. This enables your homeopath to understand your unique individuality. Of particular interest will be your own reactions to the external world, such as temperature, weather, food, etc. Your homeopath will also search for factors that may have contributed to or caused your illness, including stress, shock, traumas, or perhaps family history.

Your homeopath might prescribe immediately or may study your case and supply a remedy at a later date. A follow-up visit to determine how effective the remedy has been is usually scheduled four to six weeks after taking the remedy. It is important to realize that treatment of chronic diseases is a process that takes time, especially when other medications are involved. Your homeopath will require regular follow-up visits in order to assess your reaction to your remedy and to decide whether to repeat it, change its potency, or move on to another remedy.

How Much Does Homeopathic Treatment Cost?

Costs for treatment vary according to region and community. However, you can expect to pay $150 for your first consultation from recent graduates of a classical homeopathic institution. Higher fees will correspond with increased experience. Often fees for children will be reduced.

Is Homeopathic Treatment Covered By Insurance?

Homeopathy is not covered by the national health insurance plan, nor is it realistic to expect that homeopathy will be added in the future, especially when so many other complementary modalities are being reduced or discontinued.

However, private Extended Health plans can provide partial coverage for treatment by homeopaths - it depends on the terms of each plan. If a patient's insurance plan includes homeopathic coverage, we encourage them to submit their receipts for homeopathic treatment to their insurance provider. Should the claim be turned down, submit it again. Often the decision about whether a particular claim is accepted is based on the individual claims adjustor and their actions can be influenced by personal bias against homeopathy, company quotas, or even the person's emotional state at the time.

For patients whose insurance policy does not cover homeopathy, we encourage you to contact your claims department and ask for an explanation. Some insurance companies are saying that there is no demand for homeopathic coverage; however, this is not what we are hearing at CSH. Tell your insurance representative that there is a demand for it and that unless classical homeopathic treatment is included in your insurance plan, you will be looking for another plan.

If your insurance policy is part of a union package, make sure that your union representatives know of the health and cost benefits of homeopathy and that you want this kind of coverage included in your next negotiations.

Some insurance companies state that they provide homeopathic coverage for "licenced" homeopaths. Since there are no (absolutely none!) licenced homeopaths in Canada, this is blatantly deceptive promotion. Make sure that you avoid this loophole by being very clear about your demands for homeopathic coverage: You want to be covered for classical homeopathic treatment provided by registered members of the Canadian Society of Homeopaths.

The Canadian Society of Homeopaths is also investigating a group Extended Health plan for our members. Such a plan will include dental, eye care, and a range of other CAM treatments - including, of course, homeopathy. We expect that a group extended health plan will be of interest to our self-employed members and to patients of our professional members who are looking for Extended Health insurance coverage. Let us know if such a plan would be of interest to you by contacting our office at 604-803-9242 or homeopathy@csoh.ca.