Health Insurance (1992-1993 General medical Services Table) Regulations
(Amendment) 1992 No. 398
EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
STATUTORY RULES 1992 No. 398
Issued by the authority of the Minister for Health, Housing and Community Services
Health Insurance Act 1973
Health Insurance (1992-1993 General medical Services Table) Regulations (Amendment)
Section 133 of the Health Insurance Act 1973 (the Act) provides that the Governor-General may make regulations for the purposes of the Act.
Section 4 of the Act provides that the regulations may prescribe a table of medical services (the table), (other than pathology services) in accordance with the form of table set out in Schedule 1 and that, upon commencement of regulations prescribing the table, it has effect as if it were set out in Schedule 1 in place of the table in that Schedule. The Health Insurance (1992-1993 General Medical Services Table) Regulations currently prescribe such a table for the purposes of section 4.
Subsection 4(4) of the Act provides that the regulations may amend a table on commencement of the amendment the table as amended has effect in place of the table in Schedule 1.
Section 9 of the Act provides that Medicare benefits shall be calculated by reference to the fees for general medical services set out in the table.
The Regulations in one respect amend Statutory Rules 1992 No. 338 -Health insurance (1992-1993 General Medical Services Table) Regulations by substituting a fee of $36.50 (in lieu of $130.00) for item 11710.
Item 11710 was introduced on 1 July 1992 to cover ambulatory electrocardiography (ECG) monitoring using a memory looper ECG recorder. Recent advice is that technological advances have resulted in the price of the relevant ECG recorders being reduced significantly, so that the previous fee of $130.00 was seen as being overly generous. A fee of $36.50 reflects the cost of providing this service.
The Regulations come into effect from the date of gazettal.