EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
Issued by the Authority of the Minister for Health and Ageing
Health Insurance Act 1973
Revocation of Health Insurance (Requirements for Allied Health Professionals) Determination 2005
The Health Insurance (Requirements for Allied Health Professionals) Determination 2005 (the Requirement Determination) was made under subregulation 3A(2) of the Health Insurance Regulations 1975 (the Regulations) on 6 December 2005.
The Requirement Determination specified additional requirements that must be met by allied health professionals who provide certain allied health services to be eligible for Medicare benefits. The circumstances in which an allied health service will attract a Medicare benefit and the relevant fees were described in the items created under a separate determination made by the Minister under subsection 3C(1) of the Health Insurance Act 1973 (the Act), the Health Insurance (Allied Health and Dental Services) Determination 2005.
Regulation 3A of the Regulations was amended on 19 October 2006 by substituting a new Regulation 3A into the Regulations. Sub-regulation 3A(2) was repealed as result of the amendment. Therefore, the empowering provision for the Requirement Determination no longer exists. To avoid any doubt about the effect of the amendment to the Regulations, this Determination revokes the Requirement Determination.
The requirements for allied health professionals who provide certain allied health services that are eligible for Medicare benefits are now specified in the same determination that specifies the items and fees for the allied health services, namely the Health Insurance (Allied Health and Dental Services) Determination 2006 (the Allied Health Determination).
The Allied Health Determination is made by the Minister under subsection 3C(1) of the Act. It revokes and remakes the Health Insurance (Allied Health and Dental Services) Determination 2005. It will commence on 1 November 2006. The qualification requirements for allied health professionals are set out in Schedule 1 of that determination in relation to allied health professionals that provide the following services:
- Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander health service
- Audiology health service
- Chiropractic health service
- Diabetes education health service
- Dietetics health service
- Exercise physiology health service
- Focussed psychological strategies health service
- Mental health service.
- Non-directive pregnancy support counselling health service
- Occupational therapy health service
- Osteopathy therapy health service
- Physiotherapy health service
- Podiatry health service
- Psychological therapy health service
- Psychology health service
- Speech pathology health service.
The Revocation of the Requirement Determination takes effect on 1 November 2006.
Consultation
The Department of Health and Ageing consulted with all relevant allied health professional peak bodies about eligibility requirements for allied health professionals providing new services under the Allied Health Determination. This included the Australian Psychological Society, Australian Association of Social Workers, Australian and New Zealand College of Mental Health Nurses and OT AUSTRALIA.