NINE IN TEN CANADIANS THINK ATHLETIC THERAPY SHOULD BE ADDED TO THE OPTIONS AVAILABLE IN EMPLOYER HEALTH INSURANCE PLANS

OTTAWA, ON, June 26, 2024 /CNW/ - According to a recent survey conducted by Ipsos, almost all Canadians (96%) want employee health insurance plans to cover a range of treatments. Nine in ten would want to have access to Athletic Therapy if they got injured (89%) and think Athletic Therapy should be added to the options covered by employee health insurance plans (91%). The Canadian Athletic Therapists Association (CATA) is launching a campaign to help ensure that happens. 

The Move Freely | Live Fully campaign is about increasing access to Athletic Therapy, a form of physical therapy that focuses on getting people who have been injured back to fully functional as quickly as possible.

"Athletic Therapy is for everybody who has a body and needs to use it. It's for everybody who wants to get back to fully functional (at work, at home and at play)," says Mélanie Levac, Executive Director of CATA. "Some people think of Athletic Therapy as being for elite athletes, and it is, but it's also for their moms, friends and neighbours. We think, and Canadians agree, that Canadian employees should have access to Athletic Therapy as part of a personalized treatment plan that is covered by their employer benefit plan and can be claimed on their income taxes."

Findings from the Ipsos survey:

• Almost half of Canadians (47%) say they have been injured in a way that impedes or has impeded them from being fully functional at work, at home or at play.
• Canadians are nearly unanimous that different forms of physical therapy are important to maintaining or returning to good physical health (96% agree).
• Roughly the same proportion agree that, when injured, it is important that people can access a personalized treatment plan that helps them recover from injury as quickly as possible (97% agree).
• Canadians are nearly unanimous that it is important for employer health plans to cover a range of treatments, so that employees can access the treatment that works best for them (96% agree).
• Once it is described to them,¹ nine in ten say Athletic Therapy should be added to the options available in employer health insurance plans (91% agree).
• Nine in ten say people should be able to obtain a medical expense tax credit for Athletic Therapy, just as they do for other types of physical therapy (92% agree).

With its Move Freely | Live Fully campaign, CATA is seeking to create equitable access to Athletic Therapy across Canada by advocating for its inclusion in employee benefit plans and for the addition of Certified Athletic Therapists to the Canada Revenue Agency's schedule of authorized medical practitioners for the purposes of the medical expense tax credit.

ABOUT THE CANADIAN ATHLETIC THERAPISTS ASSOCIATION
CATA is the certifying and governing body for Certified Athletic Therapists practicing in Canada. Established in 1965 by a group of ATs working with professional hockey and football teams, CATA now represents over 3000 members. CATA is dedicated to the advancement and growth of the Athletic Therapy profession through advocacy, education, and research.

Website: https://movefreelylivefully.ca/
CATA Website: https://athletictherapy.org/
IPSOS Findings: https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/majority-of-canadians-would-want-have-access-athletics-therapy-if-they-got-injured
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/movefreelylivefully
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MoveFreelyLiveFully/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/move-freely-live-fully/
X: https://x.com/MoveFreelyCA

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¹ Athletic Therapy is a form of physical therapy that is focussed on getting people who have been injured back to fully functional as quickly as possible. Athletic therapists adhere to the Sports Medicine Model of care. They treat a wide range of patients, from kids with concussions to seniors recovering from hip replacement surgery, using various manual therapies, modalities, exercise prescription and even bracing and taping. The treatment varies but the objective doesn't: an Athletic Therapist's goal is to help clients return to their usual activities, whether that means playing competitive sports or walking to the mailbox and back.

SOURCE Canadian Athletic Therapists Association

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