Ged Kearney (Cooper, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Hansard source

I thank all of the members for their contributions to this debate. The Health Insurance Amendment (Prescribed Dental Patients and Other Measures) Bill 2023 amends the Health Insurance Act 1973 to improve healthcare for all Australians. The amendments will remove age restrictions for accessing cleft and craniofacial services on the Medicare Benefits Schedule, enable Services Australia to automate management of the Register of Approved Placements, and rectify inconsistencies between the act and the Health Insurance (Bonded Medical Program) Rule 2020, and make amendments to enhance the administration of the Bonded Medical Program. Patients with eligible cleft and craniofacial conditions will benefit from the removal of age restrictions, allowing time for their conditions to be appropriately planned and treated.

Under the current legislative arrangements, Medicare eligibility for treatment under the Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate Scheme requires a patient to meet complex and problematic access restrictions, with some patients being denied Medicare reimbursement for treatment based on age alone. Age limits for some patients were previously amended under the Health Insurance Amendment (Professional Services Review and Other Matters) Bill 2002. However, there continues to be a small number of patients who are denied treatment based on age. These changes will provide equity of access to treatment for those patients who suffer from certain cleft and craniofacial conditions relying upon a clinical requirement rather than age.

In addition, the bill provides the facility for Services Australia to develop a system to place a doctor on or remove a doctor from the Register of Approved Placements under section 3GA of the act. Specified bodies, such as the Department of Health and Aged Care and general practice colleges, are responsible for determining if a doctor is eligible to be placed on the Register of Approved Placements. Services Australia places doctors on the Register of Approved Placements based on notifications from a specified body. The specified bodies will notify Services Australia of their decision, and Services Australia will manually place doctors on and remove doctors from the Register of Approved Placements accordingly. The act does not currently allow this to occur via a computer system. This change will reduce the time frames for doctors to start providing Medicare rebated services to their patients at a time of critical workforce shortages in primary care. The bill also corrects inconsistencies between references to 'three years' and 'one year' in part VD of the act, and the definition of how a participant accrues a week of their return-of-service obligation under the Health Insurance (Bonded Medical Program) Rule 2020.

With this bill, the Australian government will make it fair and equitable for young people needing cleft palate and craniofacial procedures, ensuring access to essential health care. It will also make significant administrative improvements to support our health workforce to deliver the care regional and rural communities need. In doing so, the Australian government is strengthening Medicare and putting the health of Australians first.

I thank members for their contributions to the debate on this bill.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.

Message from the Governor-General recommending appropriation announced.

Ordered that this bill be reported to the House without amendment.

See this speech in context