EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
STATUTORY RULES 1986 NO. 318
ISSUED BY AUTHORITY OF THE MINISTER FOR HEALTH
HEALTH INSURANCE ACT 1973
HEALTH INSURANCE (VARIATION OF FEES AND MEDICAL SERVICES) (NO. 44) REGULATIONS
Section 133 of the Health Insurance Act 1973 (“the Act”) provides in part that the Governor-General may make regulations, not inconsistent with the Act, prescribing all matters required or permitted by the Act to be prescribed, or necessary or convenient to be prescribed, for carrying out or giving effect to the Act.
Section 9 of the Act provides that medicare benefits shall be calculated by reference to the fees for medical services set out in the table of general medical services in Schedule 1 to the Act. Schedule 1 contains items setting out the description of each medical service, the fee for the calculation of medicare benefit applicable in each State and rules for the interpretation of the table.
Section 4 of the Act provides that the table of general medical services may be varied or replaced by regulations. The Health Insurance (Variation of Fees and Medical Services) (No. 43) Regulations prescribe the present table of general medical services pursuant to section 4 of the Act.
The Minister for Health has agreed to the recommendations which have been made by the Medical Benefits Schedule Revision
Committee. The Committee is a non-statutory body, comprising representatives of the Australian Medical Association and the Commonwealth, which advises the Minister for Health on revisions which should be made to the table of general medical services. The Committee has made recommendations in connection with the addition, deletion or alteration of the description of a number of items in the table, and of the rules for interpretation.
The Committee has also made recommendations in connection with the adjustment of fees for medical services. Provision is to be made for increases in fees and also for the setting of uniform fees applicable in all States and Territories.
The Health Insurance (Variation of Fees and Medical Services) (No. 44) Regulations give effect to the recommendations of the Committee. Regulation 3 repeals the present table of general medical services, and regulation 4 provides for a new table to be prescribed.
Regulation 2 provides for the new table to come into operation on 1 November 1986.