Bill
A New Tax System (Medicare Levy Surcharge—Fringe Benefits) Amendment (Excess Levels for Private Health Insurance Policies) Bill 2018
passed, as at 2018-09-21. Health portfolio.
- Sponsor
- Not recorded
- Portfolio
- Health
Recorded stages
- introduced — 2018-03-28
- second reading — 2018-03-28
- second reading — 2018-05-31
- third reading — 2018-05-31
- introduced — 2018-06-18
- second reading — 2018-06-18
- second reading — 2018-09-10
- second reading — 2018-09-10
- committee — 2018-09-10
- third reading — 2018-09-10
- passed — 2018-09-10
- royal assent — 2018-09-21
Divisions
No divisions recorded. Most questions are decided on the voices; this does not establish that a bill was unopposed.
Plain-language summary
Written by a model from the explanatory memorandum; not the record, as at 2018-03-28.
This bill is part of a three-bill package that implements private health insurance reforms from October 2017.
It amends the Private Health Insurance Act 2007 to give insurers more flexibility, including age-based discounts and higher voluntary excess levels, and expands the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman's powers.
The package also allows insurers to cover travel and accommodation for regional Australians and lets them terminate products and transfer policyholders to new ones.
- Allow age-based premium discounts for hospital cover.
- Increase maximum voluntary excess levels for products exempting individuals from the Medicare levy surcharge.
- Strengthen the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman's inspection and audit powers.
- Permit insurers to cover regional Australians' travel and accommodation as part of hospital treatment.
- Allow insurers to terminate products and transfer affected policyholders to new products.
- Remove benefit limitation periods to improve consumer transparency.
Private health insurers, policyholders, and the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman.
Sources
em
billhome
frl act