EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

HEALTH INSURANCE ACT 1973

SECTION  23DNBA(4)

HEALTH INSURANCE (ELIGIBLE COLLECTION CENTRES) APPROVAL AMENDMENT PRINCIPLES 2007

Subsection 23DNBA(4) of the Health Insurance Act 1973 (the Act) requires the Minister to determine principles to be applied by the Minister in granting approvals for eligible pathology specimen collection centres under subsection 23DNBA(1) of the Act.

The Health Insurance (Eligible Collection Centres) Approval Principles 2005 (the 2005 Principles) were made under subsection 23DNBA(4) of the Act on 25 May 2005.

The Health Insurance (Eligible Collection Centres) Approval Principles 2007 (the 2007 Principles), which revoke and replace the 2005 Principles, were made on 21 June 2007 and will commence on 1 July 2007.

The purpose of these Principles is to make an amendment to the 2007 Principles concerning the method for calculating the 2007 – 2008 nominal allocation to be allotted to approved pathology authorities (APAs) who operate category G pathology laboratories.

Consultation

The Principles have been developed in consultation with the Australian Association of Pathology Practices, the National Coalition of Public Pathologists and the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia.

The Principles commence on 1 July 2007.

Details of the Principles are provided in the Attachment.

The Principles are a legislative instrument for the purposes of the Legislative Instruments Act 2003.

Authority:  Subsection 23DNBA(4) of the

Health Insurance Act 1973

ATTACHMENT

NOTES ON SECTIONS OF THE PRINCIPLES

Section 1   Name of Principles

This section provides that the Principles may be cited as the Health Insurance (Eligible Collection Centres) Approval Amendment Principles 2007.

Section 2   Commencement

This section specifies the commencement date of the Principles as 1 July 2007.

Section 3   Amendment of the Health Insurance (Eligible Collection Centres) Approval Principles 2007

This section amends the Health Insurance (Eligible Collection Centres) Approval Principles 2007 by deleting section 10 and replacing it with a revised section 10.

The revised section 10 differs from the previous section 10 such that an APA’s 2007 – 2008 nominal allocation will not be effected by the number of approvals to which the APA would have been entitled in respect of the 2007–2008 financial year under the Health Insurance (Eligible Collection Centres) Approval Principles 2005.

Section 4  Transitional

This section confirms that these Principles apply to all approvals pertaining to the 2007–2008 financial year, even if an application for approval was lodged prior to the making of these Principles.