Medavie Blue Cross massage therapy in Alberta

Medavie Blue Cross is a separate company from Alberta Blue Cross, and in Alberta you most often meet it through a federal program it administers for Veterans Affairs Canada, the RCMP, the Canadian Armed Forces or IRCC, or through a group plan. It pays only for services from a Medavie-approved health professional; for massage in Alberta that means a member of the MTAA, CMMOTA or NHPC, and for acupuncture the CAAA. Deadlines depend on the program: 18 months for VAC, CAF and RCMP, six months for IRCC.

If the card in your wallet says Medavie Blue Cross, your massage coverage follows Medavie’s rules, not Alberta Blue Cross’s. In Alberta that usually means a federal program, such as Veterans Affairs Canada or the RCMP, or a group plan an employer bought from Medavie. Either way, the deciding question is whether your therapist is a Medavie-approved health professional.

Two Blue Crosses, two sets of rules

Medavie Blue Cross and Alberta Blue Cross share a name and little else. Medavie describes itself as an independent licensee of the Canadian Association of Blue Cross Plans; Alberta Blue Cross is a separate organization based in Edmonton that runs its own plans and its own direct billing for massage therapy for its group and individual members.

That difference shows up in practical ways:

	Medavie Blue Cross	Alberta Blue Cross
Typical Alberta members	Federal program clients and some group plans	Alberta employer groups and individual plans
Where you claim	Blue Cross Mobile app, Member Services Site, mail	Its own member tools
TELUS Health eClaims	Not on the insurer list	Listed, with claims limited to Alberta

If you have Alberta Blue Cross instead, our page on Alberta Blue Cross group massage claims is the one you want.

Federal programs Medavie runs in Alberta

Medavie administers health benefits for four federal clients, each with its own claim deadline for providers:

Program	Claim deadline from the date of service
Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC), including the Veterans Independence Program	18 months
Canadian Armed Forces (CAF)	18 months
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)	18 months
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)	Six months

Each program decides for itself whether massage or acupuncture is covered at all, and on what conditions. Medavie processes the claims; it does not set those rules. We cover them separately: Veterans Affairs Canada and massage therapy, RCMP massage therapy coverage, Canadian Armed Forces massage therapy coverage and the Interim Federal Health Program for IRCC clients.

Which Alberta therapists Medavie approves

Medavie pays only for services from a Medavie Blue Cross-approved health professional. For professions without a provincial regulator, it publishes the associations it accepts. For Alberta, the list we read includes:

• Massage therapy: the Massage Therapist Association of Alberta (MTAA) and the Canadian Massage and Manual Osteopathic Therapists Association (CMMOTA), plus CMMOTA and Natural Health Practitioners of Canada (NHPC) under its national listing for provinces where massage is not regulated.
• Acupuncture: the College and Association of Acupuncturists of Alberta (CAAA).

Medavie adds a caveat: it reserves the right to accept or deny associations for certain group clients, based on their contracts. You can ask Medavie whether your group or program covers a given association.

The approved list has categories for acupuncture, counselling, massage, osteopathy, orthotherapy and naturopathy, but none for lymphedema therapists. A lymphatic drainage session is therefore claimed through the practitioner’s base profession, usually massage therapy.

How to submit a Medavie claim

Medavie’s steps are short:

1. Gather documents. A receipt is always required. Depending on the benefit, you may also need a prescription, an itemized statement or a health professional’s assessment. Your requirements are listed in the coverage section of the app, the Member Services Site or your booklet.
2. Submit. Use the Blue Cross Mobile app (one photo per document) or the Member Services Site (JPG, PDF, BMP or TIFF). By mail, include a completed paper claim form.
3. Wait for the decision. Medavie notifies you by email, and by push notification in the app if you allow it. Reimbursements go to your bank account by direct deposit; mailed claims without direct deposit are paid by cheque.

Only the main cardholder can submit, including for a spouse or dependants. For surgical stockings, Medavie lists specific claiming requirements under medical equipment, so check them in the app before you are fitted.

When a claim needs more than a receipt

Medavie lists the extra documents some benefits ask for: a prescription from a physician or other health professional, an itemized statement of the services, or an assessment completed by the health professional. Sometimes this information is already on the receipt; for certain benefits a specialty form must be filled in by the professional. If your program asks for one, bring it to the appointment so it can be completed at the visit rather than afterwards. Missing receipts or prescriptions delay claims and often mean resubmitting, Medavie notes, so it pays to check the coverage section of the app before your first visit.

Using Medavie coverage at Renu

At Renu, massage therapy and lymphatic drainage are given by Registered Massage Therapists, and acupuncture appointments are with Dr. Will Tanner, our RMT and acupuncturist. Before booking with Medavie coverage, ask us which association your therapist belongs to and compare it with the Medavie list above, or look the therapist up in Medavie’s provider search in the Blue Cross Mobile app.

Our published massage prices, for comparing against your program or plan limits:

Session at Renu	Price
Massage, 60 min	$120
Massage, 75 min	$141
Massage, 90 min	$157

If your coverage is through a federal program that needs a prescription or prior approval, get that before your first visit; the program pages linked above explain each one. Sessions with our student practitioner are not RMT services and should not be assumed claimable. Book online through Jane from the massage therapy page or the acupuncture page.

Questions people ask

Is Medavie Blue Cross the same as Alberta Blue Cross?

No. Both use the Blue Cross name under licence, but they are independent organizations with different plans, provider registrations and claim systems. Check the name on your card: if it says Medavie, claim through Medavie's app or member site, not Alberta Blue Cross.

Which Alberta massage therapists does Medavie Blue Cross accept?

Medavie's approved associations list names the Massage Therapist Association of Alberta and the Canadian Massage and Manual Osteopathic Therapists Association for Alberta, plus CMMOTA and Natural Health Practitioners of Canada for provinces without a regulator. Medavie can still accept or deny associations for certain group clients, so call to confirm for your plan.

Can I claim a massage through Medavie by mail?

Yes, but you need a completed paper claim form with your receipts. Medavie encourages the Blue Cross Mobile app or the Member Services Site, which do not need a separate form for most health claims and pay by direct deposit.

Who submits claims for my spouse on a Medavie plan?

Medavie says only the main cardholder can submit claims, including those for a spouse or dependants. If your partner is the plan member, they submit your massage receipts through their own account.

Sources

1. Medavie Blue Cross: Federal administered program providers
2. Medavie Blue Cross: Approved associations
3. Medavie Blue Cross: How to submit a claim
4. Medavie Blue Cross: What do I need to submit a claim?
5. Alberta Blue Cross: Massage therapy providers
6. TELUS Health: eClaims insurer coverage list

Page reviewed October 5, 2026. This page is education, not a diagnosis. For your own situation, talk to your doctor, surgeon or care team, or ask us.