2008

The Parliament of the
Commonwealth of Australia

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES



Presented and read a first time




Health Insurance Amendment (90 Day
Pay Doctor Cheque Scheme) Bill 2008
No.           , 2008
(Health and Ageing)




A Bill for an Act to amend the law in relation to
health insurance, and for related purposes


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             1       Short title ........................................................................................... 1
             2       Commencement ................................................................................. 1
             3       Schedule(s) ........................................................................................ 2

Schedule 1--Amendments relating to the 90 day pay doctor
            cheque scheme                                                                                                   3
       Health Insurance Act 1973                                                                                            3


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 2   health insurance, and for related purposes
 3   The Parliament of Australia enacts:
 4   1 Short title
 5                This Act may be cited as the Health Insurance Amendment (90 Day
 6                Pay Doctor Cheque Scheme) Act 2008.

 7   2 Commencement
 8           (1) Each provision of this Act specified in column 1 of the table
 9               commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with
10               column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect
11               according to its terms.
12




      Health Insurance Amendment (90 Day Pay Doctor Cheque Scheme) Bill 2008   No.   , 2008
                                                                                          1


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     Column 1               Column 2                                            Column 3
     Provision(s)           Commencement                                        Date/Details
     1. Sections 1 to 3     The day on which this Act receives the
     and anything in        Royal Assent.
     this Act not
     elsewhere covered
     by this table
     2. Schedule 1          A single day to be fixed by Proclamation.
                            However, if any of the provision(s) do not
                            commence within the period of 12 months
                            beginning on the day on which this Act
                            receives the Royal Assent, they commence
                            on the first day after the end of that period.
 1                  Note:     This table relates only to the provisions of this Act as originally
 2                            passed by both Houses of the Parliament and assented to. It will not be
 3                            expanded to deal with provisions inserted in this Act after assent.

 4          (2) Column 3 of the table contains additional information that is not
 5              part of this Act. Information in this column may be added to or
 6              edited in any published version of this Act.

 7   3 Schedule(s)
 8                  Each Act that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or
 9                  repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule
10                  concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect
11                  according to its terms.


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 2   Schedule 1--Amendments relating to the 90
 3         day pay doctor cheque scheme
 4


 5   Health Insurance Act 1973
 6   1 Subsections 20(3) and (4)
 7         After "general practitioner" (wherever occurring), insert ", specialist or
 8         consultant physician".

 9   2 At the end of section 20
10         Add:
11         (6) Subsections (3) to (5) do not apply in relation to a professional
12             service rendered by or on behalf of a specialist or consultant
13             physician, unless the claim for medicare benefit in respect of the
14             service has been made electronically in the manner prescribed by
15             the regulations.

16   3 Application
17         The amendments made by this Schedule apply in relation to
18         professional services rendered on or after the day on which this
19         Schedule commences.