Commonwealth Consolidated Acts

PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE ACT 2007 - SECT 333.30

    The Governor - General may make regulations prescribing matters:

  (a)   required or permitted by this Act to be prescribed; or

  (b)   necessary or convenient to be prescribed for carrying out or giving effect to this Act.

  (a)   reductions in premiums (see Division   23);

  (c)   lifetime health cover (see Part   2 - 3).

  (a)   the insurance must be community - rated (that is, made available in a way that does not discriminate between people) (see Part   3 - 2); and

  (b)   the insurance must be in the form of a complying health insurance product (see Part   3 - 3); and

  (c)   the private health insurers who make the products available must meet certain obligations to people insured or seeking to be insured under the products (see Part   3 - 4).

This Part defines the key concept of a health benefits fund.

This Part also defines the concepts of health - related business and risk equalisation jurisdictions, and deals with some related matters (including the operation of health - related businesses through health benefits funds).

This Part gives the Minister powers to enable him or her to find out whether a private health insurer is complying with its enforceable obligations and to encourage or compel an insurer to comply with those obligations.

The Minister can:

  (a)   set performance indicators for insurers; or

  (b)   seek explanations from insurers; or

  (c)   investigate insurers; or

  (d)   obtain enforceable undertakings from insurers; or

  (e)   direct insurers to do particular things; or

  (f)   seek remedies in the Federal Court; or

  (g)   revoke an insurer's entitlement to offer tax rebates as premium reductions.

  (c)   deals with some general administrative matters relating to the premiums reduction scheme in Part   2 - 2;

  (e)   deals with administration and collection of private health insurance levies;

  (f)   provides for the Private Health Insurance Risk Equalisation Special Account;

  (g)   protects information obtained for the purposes of this Act and sets out the circumstances in which such information may be used;

  (h)   provides for review by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal of certain decisions made under this Act;

  (i)   provides for miscellaneous other matters such as delegations, the approval of forms and the making of Private Health Insurance Rules and regulations.

  (a)   for private health insurers to be reimbursed for premiums that were reduced under the premiums reduction scheme in Division   23; and

  (b)   for the Chief Executive Medicare to supervise that reimbursement and related matters; and

  (c)   for recovery of amounts paid in error; and

  (d)   for various other related administrative matters in relation to the scheme.