Commonwealth Numbered Acts

HEALTH INSURANCE AMENDMENT ACT 1991 No. 171 of 1991 - SECT 3

3. Section 8 of the Principal Act is amended by inserting before subsection
(1) the following subsection:

"(1A) In this Part, unless the contrary intention appears:
`approved investment' means an investment in:

   (a)  an account with a financial institution; or

   (b)  a loan, including a loan by way of debentures, bonds or other
        securities; or

   (c)  an accruing return investment; or

   (d)  a market-linked investment; or

   (e)  an immediate annuity; or

   (f)  shares; within the meaning of the Social Security Act 1991;
`benefit' means a Medicare benefit;
`concessional beneficiary' means:

   (a)  a person to whom or in respect of whom:

   (i)  a social security pension (within the meaning of the Social Security 
        Act 1991 ); or

   (ii) a pension under Part III of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986; is
        being paid; or

   (b)  a person:

   (i)  to whom subparagraph (a)(i) applied on 28 February 1991; and

   (ii) to whom the subparagraph would continue to apply apart from section 4D
        of the Social Security Act 1947 or Division 1A of Part 3.10 of the
        Social  Security Act 1991 ; or

   (c)  a person:

   (i)  to whom subparagraph (a)(ii) applied on 28 February 1991; and

   (ii) to whom the subparagraph would continue to apply apart from section
        50C of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 or Division 8A of Part III
        of that Act; or

   (d)  a person:

   (i)  to whom subparagraph (a)(i) applied at any time after21 August 1990
        and before 28 March 1991; and

   (ii) to whom the subparagraph does not apply merely because the person has
        invested his or her available money (within the meaning of section 4D
        of the Social Security Act 1947), or reinvested his or her deposit
        money (within the meaning of that section) in an approved investment
        in anticipation of, or because of, that section or of Division 1A of
        Part 3.10 of the Social Security  Act 1991 ; or

   (e)  a person:

   (i)  to whom subparagraph (a)(ii) applied at any time after21 August 1990
        and before 21 March 1991; and

   (ii) to whom the subparagraph does not apply merely because the person has
        invested his or her money (within the meaning of section 50C of the
        Veterans'  Entitlements Act 1986 ), or reinvested his or her deposit
        money (within the meaning of that section) in an approved investment
        in anticipation of, or because of, that section or of Division 8A of
        Part III of that Act; or

   (f)  a person to whom or in respect of whom a social security benefit
        within the meaning of the Social Security Act 1991 is being paid; or

   (g)  a person who is qualified to receive a family allowance supplement in
        respect of a child under section 895 of the Social Security Act 1991;
        or

   (h)  a person who:

   (i)  is eligible for treatment under subsection 85(1) or (2) of the
        Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986; or

   (ii) is eligible for treatment under subsection 85(3), (4), (5), (6), (7)
        or (8) of that Act; or

   (iii) is eligible for treatment under subsection 86(1) or (2) of that Act;
        or

   (iv) is a child eligible for treatment under section 86 of that Act (not
        being a child eligible only under subsection (5) of that section); or

   (i)  a person who is a disadvantaged person within the meaning of this Act;
        or

   (j)  a pensioner within the meaning of section 4 or 4AAA of the National 
        Health Act 1953 ; `dependant', in relation to a concessional
        beneficiary, means:

   (a)  in relation to a person who is a concessional beneficiary to whom
        paragraph (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), (g) or (j) of the definition
        of `concessional beneficiary' applies:

   (i)  the spouse of the person; or

   (ii) a child under 16 who is in the custody, care and control of the person
        or of the spouse of the person; or

   (iii) a person who:

                (A)  is 16 or more but under 25; and

                (B)  is receiving full-time education at school, college or
                     university; and

                (C)  is not being paid an invalid pension under the
                     Social Security Act 1991 or, in a case where he or she is
                     being paid a rehabilitation allowance under that Act, was
                     not eligible to receive such a pension immediately before
                     he or she became eligible to receive that allowance; and

                (D)  is wholly or substantially dependent on the person or on
                     the spouse of the person; and

   (b)  in relation to a person to whom paragraph (i) of that definition
        applies - a person who is, under section 3 of this Act, a dependant of
        that person;
`General Manager' means the General Manager of the Commission;
`maximum co-payment amount' means $2.50;
`patient contribution', in relation to a claim for benefit in respect of a
service, means:

   (a)  if benefit is payable under section 20 - an amount equal to the
        difference between:

   (i)  the Schedule fee or, if the medical expenses in respect of the service
        are less than that fee, those expenses; and

   (ii) the amount of benefit that, apart from section 10AC or 10AD (whichever
        is appropriate), would be payable in respect of the service; and

   (b)  if benefit is assigned under section 20A and the practitioner
        concerned is entitled under that section to charge an amount not more
        than the maximum co-payment amount in respect of the service - the
        maximum co-payment amount; and

   (c)  in any other case - nil;
`prescribed GP service' means a service:

   (a)  to which an item in Group A1 or Group A7 of the general medical
        services table relates; and

   (b)  that is prescribed for the purposes of this Part;
`registered family' means a family registered under section 10AA;
`safety-net concession card' means a safety-net concession card issued under
section 10AF and includes an additional safety-net concession card, or a
replacement safety-net concession card, issued under section 10AH;
`safety-net amount' means $246;
`Schedule fee', in relation to a service, means the fee specified in the table
in respect of the service;
`service' means a professional service.".