Commonwealth Numbered Regulations - Explanatory Statements

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HEALTH INSURANCE (1991-1992 DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING SERVICES TABLE) REGULATIONS 1991 NO. 352

STATUTORY RULES 1991 No. 352

Issued by the authority of the Minister for Health, Housing and Community Services.

Health Insurance Act 1973

Health Insurance (1991-1992 Diagnostic Imaging Services Table) Regulations

Section 133 of the Health Insurance Act 1973 (the Act) provides that the Governor-General may make regulations for the purposes of the Act.

Section 4AA of the Act provides that the regulations may prescribe a table of diagnostic imaging services. The Health Insurance (Diagnostic Imaging Services Table) Regulations prescribe such a table.

Section 9 of the Act provides that, in effect Medicare benefits shall be calculated by reference to the fees for diagnostic imaging services set out in the table of diagnostic imaging services (the table) in the Schedule to the Act.

The 1991-1992 Regulations amend the table of diagnostic imaging services and its rules for interpretation and replace the 1991 Regulations.

The table has been restructured into "Groups" and "Subgroups" (in place of the previous "Parts" and "Divisions") in line with the restructuring of the general medical services table as recommended by the Australian Audit Office in its audit of the Medicare Benefits Schedule (Report No. 26 of December 1989). In addition the item numbering system has been upgraded to five digits.

Three new items have been added to the table. One service was previously covered by ministerial determination under section 3C of the Act. The other two services have been recommended for inclusion for payment of Medicare benefits by the Medicare Benefits Advisory Committee.

As announced in the 1991-1992 Federal Budget, an increase of 3.57 per cent in the fees for nuclear medicine services is incorporated in the table. The fee increase has not been applied to other services in the table which are to be restructured from 1 February 1992. Cabinet approved the increase in fees for nuclear medicine, with effect from 1 November 1991, on 16 July 1991. This fee increase was subsequently deferred until 1 December 1991 in line with the Government's decision to defer other Budget decisions relating to Medicare.

The fee increase of 3.57 per cent was a Government decision based on consideration of movements in the Average Award Rates of Pay Index and the Consumer Price Index and taking into account overall economic policy.

The rules of interpretation of the table have been updated to reflect the restructuring of the table and the conversion to five-digit item numbers.