What is a 19AA exemption and how does it work?

Being part of the medical industry involves many legal requirements. Sections 19AA and 19AB impact doctors who decide to transition from hospital medicine across to GP work, and also those who come into Australia from overseas. You can find out more about the details of section 19AB in another post, but this post discusses the implications for overseas doctors in relation to 19AA. 

Below are all the facts you need to know about section 19AA, simplified to clarify the requirements expected. 

What is section 19AA?

Section 19AA was introduced in 1996 as part of the Health Insurance Act of 1973 to achieve two primary goals:

1. Recognise and support GP roles as vocational specialities
2. Provide a framework for accomplishing long-term improvement in the quality of doctors working in Australia

In the simplest of terminology, 19AA requires any Australian Permanent Resident or Citizen who is not vocationally registered to gain registration on an approval 3GA program prior to commencing work in Australia. If they are not registered these doctors will not have access to Medicare benefits. This legislation applies to both Australian-born citizens and those who become citizens after moving internationally.

All medical practitioners are subject to the restrictions in section 19AA if they:

• Held medical registration by an Australian Medical Board on or after 1 November 1996
• Are Australian permanent resident or Australian citizen
• Do not hold continued recognition by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine, or a recognised specialist college

What do I need to know about 19AA?

Its important to acknowledge that there are a list of training programs that allow GPs to work, bulk bill and ensure their patients can get the Medicare rebate. These programs include; AGPT, RLRP, AMDS, SAPP, RVTS, ACRRM Independent Pathway.

Other key notes when it comes to 19AA are: 

• After sitting your fellowship exams and being recognised as a specialist doctor, this restriction will no longer apply.
• If you’re billing 100 per cent privately, and your patients do not expect to get a rebate from Medicare, this restriction doesn’t apply.
• 19AA restrictions only apply to those who want to be able to bulk bill and whose patients have the ability to claim on Medicare.

The Next Steps

With this brief summary of key notes around section 19AA, it is important you understand the legislation adequetly before making any decisions about working as a GP in Australia. Also, make sure to check out our fact sheet about 19AB for further information.