Explanatory Statement
Issued by the Authority of the Minister for Health and Ageing
Health Insurance Act 1973
Health Insurance (Allied Health Services) Determination 2009
Subsection 3C(1) of the Health Insurance Act 1973 (the Act) provides that the Minister may, by writing, determine that a health service not listed in the general medical services table (the Table) shall, in specified circumstance and for specified statutory provisions, be treated as if it were so listed. This Table is set out in the Health Insurance (General Medical Services Table) Regulations 2008.
A determination made under subsection 3C(1) of the Act is a legislative instrument for the purposes of the Legislative Instruments Act 2003.
Subsection 3C(8) of the Act provides that the health services that may be subject to a determination made under subsection 3C(1) of the Act include dental services and any other prescribed service that relates to health. Regulation 3A of the Health Insurance Regulations 1975 prescribes 16 classes of allied health services as “health services” for the purposes of section 3C of the Act.
This Determination revokes the Health Insurance (Allied Health Services) Determination 2008.
This Determination is different to the Health Insurance (Allied Health Services) Determination 2008 in the following ways:
- it updates references to GP mental health care items; and
- it updates registration requirements for social workers providing mental health services.
Details of this Determination are set out in the Attachment.
This Determination commences on 1 July 2009.
Consultation
The Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) consulted with the Australian Association of Social Workers regarding changes to registration requirements for mental health services.
As part of the Budget process, key issues associated with changes to the GP mental health care items were discussed with appropriate internal areas within DoHA.
Attachment
Details of the health insurance (allied health services) determination 2009
This Explanatory Statement sets out amendments that have been made since the Health Insurance (Allied Health Services) Determination 2008.
Preliminary
Section 1 provides for the Determination to be referred to as the Health Insurance (Allied Health Services) Determination 2009.
Section 2 provides for the Determination to commence on 1 July 2009.
Section 3 revokes the previous Health Insurance (Allied Health Services) Determination 2008.
Section 4 defines specific terms used in this Determination. The following minor amendment has been made.
The definition ‘GP Mental Health Care Plan’ has been changed to ‘GP Mental Health Treatment Plan’, and other wording in this definition updated, to reflect changes to wording relating to GP mental health items in the Health Insurance (General Medical Services Table) Regulations.
Schedule 1
This Schedule sets out the qualification requirements for allied health professionals providing services under the Medicare items in Schedule 2.
Paragraphs 8 and 9 set out the requirements for professionals to access Medicare mental health and pregnancy counselling services. These paragraphs have been amended to update references to the standards document for the Australian Association of Social Workers.
Schedule 2
This Schedule sets out the relevant Medicare items (including the item numbers, service descriptors and fees) for services provided by eligible allied health professionals.
− Part 1 applies to individual allied health services (items 10950 to 10970).
− Part 2 applies to psychological therapy and focussed psychological strategies services (items 80000 to 80170).
− Part 3 applies to pregnancy support counselling services (items 81000 to 81010).
− Part 4 applies to group allied health services for patients with type 2 diabetes (items 81100 to 81125).
− Part 5 applies to allied health services for children with autism or any other PDD (items 82000 to 82025).
References to ‘GP Mental Health Care Plan’ in part 2 have been changed to ‘GP Mental Health Treatment Plan’.