Is Pelvic Floor Therapy Covered By Insurance?

Pelvic floor physical therapy is often covered by major insurance companies including Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Healthcare, Aetna and Cigna.

But just because you have coverage doesn't necessarily mean you'll be able to use insurance to cover your pelvic floor therapy appointments.

An estimated 80 percent of pelvic floor physical therapists are considered out-of-network for patients—largely because many of them operate cash-pay practices.

So even if your insurance covers pelvic PT, your provider may not accept it.

And if your local pelvic floor therapists does accept insurance? She probably has limited availability, and many pelvic PTs have wait lists that last for months.

But if you can't use your insurance to pay for pelvic floor therapy, you still don't have to suffer from uncomfortable symptoms like incontinence and pelvic pain.

Vagercise, an online course taught by pelvic PTs, aims to make pelvic floor exercise and education more accessible, affordable and fun.

You can use your HSA or FSA funds to purchase Vagercise, which costs less than half the price of a typical pelvic PT regimen.

In this post, we'll explain insurance coverage for pelvic floor physical therapy and review other options for pelvic floor solutions, including products that can relieve your symptoms.

How Much Does Pelvic Floor Therapy Cost With Insurance?

Pelvic floor physical therapy may be covered if you have insurance from major companies including Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Aetna and United Healthcare.

But coverage depends on the specifics of your plan, like whether you have coverage for physical therapy or outpatient therapy.

You may need to talk with your insurance company to request reimbursement for out-of-network physical therapy.

Some insurers also require proof of medical necessity from a doctor's order to provide coverage, which may mean you'll incur additional costs and appointments to obtain a diagnosis.

If you talk with your insurance provider and learn they cover pelvic floor therapy, you can expect to pay a co-pay for each visit after you've met your plan's annual deductible.

Why Can't I Use Insurance for Pelvic Floor Therapy?

In the United States, there's far more demand for pelvic floor physical therapy than there are providers who can offer it.

One in four American women—or 40 million people—have pelvic floor dysfunction. But there are only 4,000 pelvic floor PTs nationwide, according to the American Physical Therapy Association.

So if a pelvic PT's services are already in high demand, why would she want to endure the hassle of dealing with insurers?

Insurance is a burden for medical offices, which often have to hire additional staff to work on billing and collections—and many pelvic PTs are solopreneurs.

Besides, many pelvic PTs believe they can provide better care outside the restrictions of insurance.

Without having to negotiate rates or stick to insurance-approved timelines, a PT can dedicate more time and offer a wider range of treatment options for patients. 

How Much Does Pelvic Floor PT Cost Without Insurance?

If you can't use insurance to pay for pelvic floor PT, you'll likely pay $200 to $300 for an initial evaluation that lasts 60 to 90 minutes.

For each follow-up, you can expect to pay $150 to $200 for an appointment lasting 45 to 60 minutes.

Most pelvic floor physical therapists prefer to see patients once a week until their symptoms improve.

While every patient's treatment is different, it typically takes at least 6 to 8 weeks to see muscular changes and improvement with issues like bladder leaks or pain with sex—or longer for issues like diastasis recti or pelvic organ prolapse.

In total, you can expect to spend between $1,000 to $2,000 out of pocket on pelvic floor physical therapy.

Vagercise vs. Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy  

Vagercise is designed to be an affordable complement or alternative to physical therapy.

With our online course, you'll get the same exercises and information that pelvic PTs share with their patients—but at less than half the cost of a typical PT regimen.

With more than 12 hours of PT-led videos, Vagercise includes:

• Exercises for strengthening your pelvic floor, core, hips, glutes and more
• Yoga and relaxation classes for relieving pelvic floor tension
• Stretches and mobility exercises for releasing tight muscles in your pelvic floor, hips, low back and tailbone
• Specialty classes like Pilates and Return to High-Impact Exercise for help transitioning back to your favorite activities
• Educational classes that explain symptoms like incontinence, pain and abdominal separation and help you understand what's going on in your body
• Troubleshooting advice for specific pelvic floor problems, like pain with sex or leaks with jumping, running, lifting or sneezing
• and more!

Plus, if Vagercise doesn't help you improve your symptoms in six weeks, you'll get your money back, guaranteed!