Bills Digest No. 142 2002-03
Private Health Insurance (ACAC
Review Levy) Bill 2003
WARNING:
This Digest was prepared for debate. It reflects the legislation as
introduced and does not canvass subsequent amendments. This Digest
does not have any official legal status. Other sources should be
consulted to determine the subsequent official status of the
Bill.
CONTENTS
Passage History
Purpose
Background
Main Provisions
Endnotes
Contact Officer & Copyright Details
Passage History
Private Health Insurance
(ACAC Review Levy) Bill 2003
Date Introduced: 26 March 2003
House: House of Representatives
Portfolio: Health and Ageing
Commencement: 1 July 2004
To reimpose the Acute Care Advisory
Committee ('ACAC') review levy.
This is one of four Bills reimposing
existing levies on private health insurers. Full background is set
out in Bills Digest No. 139, 2002-03 (National Health Amendment
(Private Health Insurance Levies) Bill 2003). Separate Bills are
required for each levy because they could be construed as imposing
taxation and the Constitution requires that such Bills 'deal with
one subject of taxation
only'.(1)
The ACAC Review Levy is imposed on
each registered health benefits organization to meet the
administrative costs of reviews
conducted by Acute Care Advisory Committees under section 3B
of the Health Insurance Act
1973. The levy is
imposed on each organization based on the number of health fund
contributors.
The Bill provides that the rate of the ACAC
Review levy is to be set in regulations, within a maximum limit
specified in the Bill itself.
Clause 6 imposes the ACAC
Review levy on 'each registered health benefits organization'. The
levy is imposed 'on each day specified in the Regulations as an
ACAC Review levy day'. There cannot be more than four such days in
a financial year, although the Minister for Health can specify up
to two supplementary levy days. The Explanatory Memorandum notes
that the latter provision is included to cover 'unexpected
administrative costs of reviews conducted by Acute Care Advisory
Committees.' (2)
Clause 7 sets the maximum
rate of the ACAC Review levy for a financial year at:
Clause 9 validates all
previous ACAC Review levy payments made before the commencement of
the current Bill.
1.
Section
55.
2.
Explanatory
Memorandum, p. 2.
Peter Prince
30 April 2003
Bills Digest Service
Information and Research Services
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ISSN 1328-8091
© Commonwealth of Australia 2003
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Published by the Department of the Parliamentary Library,
2003.
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