Health Insurance Amendment Act 1980
No. 132 of 1980
An Act to amend the Health Insurance Act 1973
[Assented to 19 September 1980]
BE IT ENACTED by the Queen, and the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, as follows:
Short title, &c.
1. (1) This Act may be cited as the Health Insurance Amendment Act 1980.
(2) The Health Insurance Act 1973 is in this Act referred to as the Principal Act.
Commencement
2. (1) Subject to sub-section (2), this Act shall come into operation on the day on which it receives the Royal Assent.
(2) Sub-section 3(2) shall come into operation on 1 November 1980.
Interpretation
3. (1) Section 3 of the Principal Act is amended—
(a) by inserting before the definition of “agreement” in sub-section (1) the following definition:
“‘accredited dental practitioner’ means a dental practitioner who is accredited by the Minister in writing for the purposes of this definition;”;
(b) by inserting after paragraph (b) of the definition of “professional service” in sub-section (1) the following paragraph:
“(ba) a service specified in an item that is expressed to relate to a professional attendance by an accredited dental practitioner, being a service that is rendered by an accredited dental practitioner to a referred dental patient who has not attained the age of 22 years;”;
(c) by inserting after the definition of “recognized hospital” in sub-section (1) the following definitions:
“‘referred dental patient’ means a person—
(a) in respect of whom there is issued a certificate in accordance with the approved form by a referring practitioner stating that the person is suffering from a cleft lip or cleft palate condition;
(b) who is referred by the referring practitioner in the prescribed manner to an accredited dental practitioner; and
(c) who has not attained the age of 22 years;
‘referring practitioner’ means a medical practitioner or a dental practitioner who is approved by the Minister in writing for the purposes of this definition;”; and
(d) by omitting from sub-section (4) “Subject to sub-section (4a)” and substituting “Unless the contrary intention appears”.
(2) Section 3 of the Principal Act is further amended—
(a) by omitting from sub-paragraph (i) of paragraph (a) of the definition of “eligible pensioner” in sub-section (1) “or a sheltered employment allowance” and substituting “, a sheltered employment allowance or a sickness benefit”; and
(b) by omitting from paragraph (a) of sub-section (10) “or a sheltered employment allowance” and substituting “, a sheltered employment allowance or a sickness benefit”.
Medical service outside Australia
4. Section 21 of the Principal Act is amended by inserting after paragraph (a) of sub-section (4) the following paragraph:
“(aa) a service specified in an item that is expressed to relate to a professional attendance by an accredited dental practitioner;”.
Panels for appointments to Committees
5. (1) Section 50 of the Principal Act is amended by omitting paragraph (d) of sub-section (1) and substituting the following paragraph:
“(d) the Royal Australian College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists; and”.
(2) Where there was, immediately before the commencement of this section, a member of a Committee who was appointed from a panel nominated by the body referred to in paragraph 50(1)(d) of the Principal Act, then, for the purposes of the operation of sections 53 and 56 of the Principal Act as amended by this Act, the member shall be deemed to have been appointed from a panel nominated by the body referred to in paragraph 50(1)(d) of the Principal Act as amended by this Act.
Functions of Committee
6. Section 67 of the Principal Act is amended by adding at the end of the definition of “treatment” in sub-section (2) “and includes the supply of prostheses in connection with such treatment”.