How Much Does Pelvic Floor Therapy Cost? Breakdown With & Without Insurance

Pelvic floor therapy is a form of physical therapy that targets the more than two dozen muscles in your pelvic area that support the bladder, bowel, rectum, uterus, and vagina. Pelvic floor therapy can alleviate issues like incontinence, pelvic pain, organ prolapse, and more.

But how much does pelvic floor therapy cost? 

The short answer is: pelvic floor therapy costs $75 to $200 per session without insurance. With insurance, you may pay as little as $0 depending on your plan and your deductible, but many people pay between $20 and $60 in out-of-pocket costs.

Costs can vary according to your provider, where you live, and what specific charges your therapist bills, among other factors.

This guide provides more details about pelvic floor therapy costs, including out-of-pocket costs with and without insurance as well as strategies for saving money on therapy.

Cost of pelvic floor therapy without insurance (out-of-pocket)

Whether you don’t have health insurance or your existing insurance doesn’t cover pelvic floor therapy, it’s helpful to know beforehand roughly how much each session will cost and how many sessions you may need.

You can expect to pay between $75 and $200 per session, but the exact amount will vary depending on several factors. 

If you are currently waiting to be evaluated by a pelvic floor specialist after being referred by a doctor, you can always call the therapy provider and ask them for a cost estimate. However, keep in mind that this is an easier figure to estimate for the therapist after the evaluation.

A standard plan of care for pelvic floor therapy can range from just a few to 12 or so sessions. Often, therapists will reassess the case closer to the end of the initial window and extend it if needed.

Factoring in these cost and plan duration estimates, here’s a quick look at the low, middle, and high points of the range:

• $75 per session x 3 sessions = $225 total
• $125 per session x 8 sessions = $1,000 total
• $200 per session x 12 sessions = $2,400 total

Cost of pelvic floor therapy with insurance

Most major health insurance carriers cover pelvic floor therapy. In some cases, policyholders are required to have medical pre-authorization and/or a doctor’s referral for coverage to be approved.

In most cases, cost is not affected by whether you have insurance, meaning you can still reasonably expect to be charged between $75 and $200 per session with insurance. 

However, the amount your insurance covers and the amount you are expected to pay can vary considerably based on several factors relating both to your carrier and your specific plan.

Here’s an overview of these factors, including how they can affect pelvic floor therapy costs:

• Copay. A health insurance copay, or copayment, is a set fee that your insurance charges you on a per-session basis, regardless of how much the covered session costs. Copays range between $10 and $50 for most covered services. 
• Deductible. This is a set amount of money your insurance company requires you to pay before they cover the rest of the expense. If you have a $500 deductible and your therapy costs $1200 in total, then you pay $500, and your insurance covers the remaining $700.
• Coinsurance. Some carriers require policyholders to continue paying a percentage of the cost after meeting their deductible. If each session costs $100 and you have a 15% coinsurance obligation, you will pay $15 per session, and insurance will cover the rest. 
• Pre-authorization. If coverage for pelvic floor therapy requires pre-authorization, your insurance provider must agree that the expense is medically necessary and approve it first. Without this, you may lose coverage entirely. 
• Doctor referral. Some insurance carriers require you to first see a doctor and be referred to pelvic floor therapy, or the therapy may not be covered. 
• Coverage limits. Even when an expense is covered, some insurance policies include coverage limits, which refer to the maximum amount they will pay for covered services. After this cap is hit, you’re back to out-of-pocket payment. 
• In-network vs out-of-network. An in-network healthcare provider has made an agreement with your insurance carrier to offer discounted rates to policyholders. An out-of-network provider has made no such deal, likely resulting in higher costs. 
• Out-of-pocket max. Like a deductible, but not the same, the out-of-pocket maximum is a set amount policyholders need to pay in a year before the carrier agrees to cover 100% of covered expenses for the rest of that year. 

Once you confirm where you stand on the above policy points, you can gain a much more accurate sense of how much pelvic floor therapy will cost. 

The most important thing is to confirm that you are eligible in the first place, including satisfying any pre-authorization, doctor referral, or other requirements specified by your carrier.

How to save on pelvic floor therapy costs

With or without insurance, there are several ways you can save money on pelvic floor therapy.

It never hurts to ask a healthcare provider if they offer income-adjusted (e.g., sliding scale) services, flexible payment plans, or other options that could lighten the financial burden.

Here’s a comprehensive list of strategies for reducing pelvic floor therapy costs:

• Talk to your physical therapist. Many therapists offer sliding scale services, payment plans, and other methods for decreasing financial burden.
• Transition to a home exercise program. Especially if your case does not require intensive manual therapy and/or clinical modalities, limiting your sessions and transitioning to home exercises early can cut costs by more than half.
• Decrease your visit frequency. Work out a plan with your therapist to come, for example, once a week instead of twice a week for the duration of your care plan. You can also increase your reliance on home exercises with this method. 
• Use HSA or FSA funds. If your employer provides you with an HSA or FSA, you can usually use these funds to cover pelvic floor therapy costs.
• Look for community health initiatives and programs. These can vary by area, but it never hurts to check. If you are a university student and/or employed, you can check with your school or employer as well to see if they offer incentives/reimbursement.
• Consider group sessions. It’s not applicable to everyone, but if your therapist okays it for your case, you may be able to save considerably on therapy costs with group sessions.
• Start today, not tomorrow. Pelvic floor therapy is considered a first-line treatment, meaning it can save you money on expensive surgical procedures if implemented early and successfully.