Explanatory Statement
Issued by the Authority of the Minister for Health and Ageing
Health Insurance Act 1973
Health Insurance (Allied Health Services) Determination 2010
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 2009.
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 2009 (No.2).
The purpose of the Determination is to
- replace all fees with the new fees that apply from 1 November 2010 due to annual indexation; and
- update the names of two allied health organisations due to name changes that have occurred.
Details of this Determination are set out in the Attachment.
This Determination is a legislative instrument for the purposes of the Legislative Instruments Act 2003.
This Determination commences on 1 November 2010.
Consultation
No consultation took place in the making of this Determination as the changes to the names of the allied health provider organisations and the annual indexation of fees are minor and machinery in nature and do not alter existing arrangements.
Attachment
Details of the health insurance (allied health services) determination 2010
This Explanatory Statement sets out the amendments to the Health Insurance (Allied Health Services) Determination 2010.
Preliminary
Section 1 provides for the Determination to be referred to as the Health Insurance (Allied Health Services) Determination 2010.
Section 2 provides for the Determination to commence on 1 November 2010.
Section 3 revokes the Health Insurance (Allied Health Services) Determination 2009 (No.2).
Section 4 defines specific terms used in this Determination. The following minor amendments have been made:
The name of OT Australia has been changed to Occupational Therapy Australia; and
The name of Australian Association of Exercise and Sports Science (AESS) has been changed to Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA).
Schedule 1- Qualification requirements for allied health professionals
The name of the Australian Association for Exercise and Sports Science has been changed to Exercise and Sports Science Australia.
The name of OT Australia has been changed to the Australian Association of Occupational Therapists.
Schedule 2- Allied health services
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).
Fees have been updated to those that apply on 1 November 2010 due to annual indexation.
Schedule 3- Transitional provisions
This Schedule outlines transitional qualification requirements for the provision of a podiatry health service in the Northern Territory and the provision of allied health mental health services in Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory due to the introduction of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme.