Health Insurance Regulations (Amendment) 1992 No. 431
EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
STATUTORY RULES 1992 No. 431
Issued by the authority of the Minister for Health, Housing and Community Services
Health Insurance Act 1973
Health Insurance Regulations (Amendment)
The Health Insurance Act 1973 (the Act) provides in part for the payment of Medicare benefits for professional services rendered by medical practitioners and for certain professional services rendered by dental practitioners and optometrists.
Section 133 of the Act provides that the Governor-General may make regulations for the purposes of the Act.
The Regulations are necessary to amend the Health Insurance Regulations as a consequence of a proposed amendment to paragraph 16B(11)(d) of the Act. The proposed amendment to the Act provides for the extension from 1 January 1993 to 1 January 1995 of the date that Medicare benefits cease to be payable for diagnostic imaging services rendered by medical practitioners who are classified as pre-existing practices under other paragraphs of subsection 16B(11) of the Act.
The Regulations amend the Health Insurance Regulations, paragraph 13(17)(d), by omitting the expiry dare of 1 January 1993 for the requirement that accounts issued contain the indicator "SD" where diagnostic imaging services are rendered in circumstances set out in subsection 16B(11) of the Act. The effect of the proposed amendment to the Regulations is to provide for the operative part of the paragraph to apply in accord with the provisions of subsection 16B(11) of the Act.
The Regulations commence on the date of Gazettal.