Health Insurance Legislation Amendment (2024 Measures No. 2) Determination 2024  

I, Nigel Murray, delegate of the Minister for Health and Aged Care, make the following determination.

Dated   16 May 2024

Contents

1  Name  ..................................................1

2  Commencement............................................1

3  Authority................................................1

4  Schedules................................................1

Schedule 1— Indexation amendments 2

Health Insurance (Section 3C General Medical Services – Allied Health Services) Determination 2024              2

Health Insurance (Section 3C Midwife and Nurse Practitioner Services) Determination 2020              2

Health Insurance (Section 3C General Medical Services – Telehealth and Telephone Attendances) Determination 2021              2

Schedule 2—Nurse practitioner amendments 4

Health Insurance (Section 3C Midwife and Nurse Practitioner Services) Determination 2020              4

Health Insurance (Section 3C General Medical Services – Telehealth and Telephone Attendances) Determination 2021              4

Schedule 3—Telehealth amendments 5

Health Insurance (Section 3C General Medical Services – Telehealth and Telephone Attendances) Determination 2021              5

Schedule 4—Case confrencing amendments 6

Health Insurance (Section 3C General Medical Services – Allied Health Services) Determination 2024              6

1  Name

 This instrument is the Health Insurance Legislation Amendment (2024 Measures No. 2) Determination 2024.

2  Commencement

 (1) Each provision of this instrument specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.

 Note: This table relates only to the provisions of this instrument as originally made. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this instrument.

 (2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this instrument. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this instrument.

3  Authority

  This instrument is made under subsection 3C(1) of the Health Insurance Act 1973.

4  Schedules

  Each instrument that is specified in a Schedule to this instrument is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this instrument has effect according to its terms.

Schedule 1— Indexation amendments

1        After section 10

Insert:

11  Indexation

(1)      At the start of 1 July 2024 (the indexation time), each amount covered by subsection (2) is replaced by the amount worked out using the following formula:

Note:         The indexed fees could in 2024 be viewed on the Department of Health and Aged Care’s MBS Online website (http://www.health.gov.au).

(2)      The amounts covered by this subsection are the fee for each item in Schedule 2 of this Determination.

(3)      An amount worked out under subsection (1) is to be rounded up or down to the nearest 5 cents (rounding down if the amount is an exact multiple of 2.5 cents).

2        Subsection 6A(1)

Repeal the subsection, substitute:

(1)           At the start of 1 July 2024 (the indexation time), each amount covered by subsection (2) is replaced by the amount worked out using the following formula:

Note:         The indexed fees could in 2024 be viewed on the Department of Health and Aged Care’s MBS Online website (http://www.health.gov.au).

3        Subsection 8(1)

Repeal the subsection, substitute:

(1)           At the start of 1 July 2024 (the indexation time), each amount covered by subsection (2) is replaced by the amount worked out using the following formula:

Note:         The indexed fees could in 2024 be viewed on the Department of Health and Aged Care’s MBS Online website (http://www.health.gov.au).

4        Paragraph 8(2)(a)

Repeal the paragraph, substitute:

(a) items 91792, 91803, 91804, 91805, 91892, 91893, 92716, 92719, 92722, 92725, 92732, 92735, 92738, and 92741 in Group A40.

Schedule 2—Nurse practitioner amendments

1        Fee amendments of listed provisions

The items of Schedule 2 listed in the following table are amended as set out in the table.

2        Fee amendments of listed provisions

The items of Schedule 4 listed in the following table are amended as set out in the table.

Schedule 3—Telehealth amendments

1        Subparagraph 1.1.12(8)(a)(iii) of Schedule 1

Omit “and 92133.”, substitute “and 92133; or”.

2       Paragraph 1.1.17(2)(b) of Schedule 1

Omit “Determination”.

3       Paragraph 1.1.17(2)(c) of Schedule 1

Omit “Determination”.

4          Schedule 2 (item 92173, column 2)

Omit “30 minutes”, substitute “20 minutes”.

Schedule 4—Case conferencing amendments

1        Subsection 4(1) (definition of case conference service)

Repeal the definition, substitute:

case conference service means a service to which item 10955, 10957, 10959, 80176, 80177, 80178, 82001, 82002 or 82003 applies, which is one of the following health services:

2        Subsection 4(1) (note)

Repeal the note, substitute:

Note: The following terms are defined in subsection 3(1) of the Act:

 dental practitioner

 general medical services table

 item

 medical practitioner

 Chief Executive Medicare

 optometrist

 professional service

 participating nurse practitioner.

3        Subsection 1.1.2(6) of Schedule 2

Repeal the subsection, substitute:

 (6) For the purposes of the items mentioned in subclause (1), eligible allied health practitioner means:

 (a) an eligible Aboriginal health worker;

 (b) an eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner;

 (c) an eligible diabetes educator;

 (d) an eligible audiologist;

 (e) an eligible dietitian;

 (f) an eligible mental health worker;

 (g) an eligible occupational therapist;

 (h) an eligible exercise physiologist;

 (i) an eligible physiotherapist;

 (j) an eligible podiatrist;

 (k) an eligible chiropractor;

 (l) an eligible osteopath;

 (m) an eligible psychologist;

 (n) an eligible speech pathologist; or

 (o) a participating nurse practitioner.