AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

ISSUED BY AUTHORITY OF THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR HEALTH

AMENDMENTS OF THE HEALTH COMMISSION (CHARGES) REGULATIONS

No. 13 of 1980

The Minister of State for Health has made regulations under the Health Commission Ordinance which amend the Health Commission (Charges) Regulations.

The amending regulations provide for charges to be made for accommodation and treatment provided by the Capital Territory Health Commission to persons who under the provisions of the Health Insurance Act 1973 are not eligible persons for the purposes of the Act.  Broadly these persons are visitors from overseas, heads of diplomatic and consular missions, diplomatic and consular staff and their families and servants who are not Australian citizens.  There was no provision in the Health Commission (Charges) Regulations for these ‘non-eligible’ persons to be charged for Commission services.

In addition the amending regulations provide that children accommodated at health services hostels conducted by the Commission on alternate days, weeks or months should be charged at the level which would have been charged had they been accommodated continuously at the hostels for the same period and not a higher level as was the case before the Regulations were amended.

Further, the amending regulations increase the fees charged for dental services provided by Commission staff in accordance with the recently increased fees payable by the Commonwealth and statutory authorities to dentists in private practice who render professional services on behalf of the Commonwealth and statutory authorities.

The opportunity has also been taken to correct some minor flaws of a drafting nature in the Regulations.