Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

in reply—In summing up the debate on the Health Insurance Amendment (90 Day Pay Doctor Cheque Scheme) Bill 2008, I would like to thank the members of the government who have seen fit to speak on this important bill: the member for Moreton, the member for Robertson, the member for Kingston, the member for Petrie and, of course, the member for Shortland. I am surprised, frankly, that nobody from the opposition has spoken on this bill at all. It is a measure that will provide important relief to a large number of people, particularly elderly people. We know that pensioners in particular rely on these sorts of measures. So it is somewhat surprising that the opposition members have not taken the opportunity to support it. I presume and hope that they will be voting for the bill, but perhaps in future we will see more engagement from the opposition on what is a measure that I would expect all people in this Committee to be able to support.

We know, as speakers have already mentioned and as I mentioned in the introductory speech, that the 90 Day Pay Doctor Cheque Scheme is currently available only to general practitioners. When a patient submits an unpaid claim to Medicare Australia, the patient is presented with a pay-doctor cheque. This cheque is for the amount of the Medicare rebate and is made out to the medical practitioner who provided the service. The patient is then responsible for forwarding the cheque on to the medical practitioner, along with any required copayment, enabling patients to use their Medicare rebate towards the payment of their medical bill. While the majority of patients do present the cheques to their doctor, some cheques are presented very late or not at all, leading to lengthy delays or some bad debts. This bill allows Medicare Australia to cancel a cheque that is not banked within 90 days and to make electronic payment to the specialist or consultant physician. So, whilst providing important relief and choice to patients who might not be able to find the money to pay all of this up-front, there is still a mechanism in place to ensure that specialists and physicians are protected from any bad debts.

We do know that many people across Australia face out-of-pocket costs when they visit private specialists, and we hope that extending access to the scheme will encourage more specialists and consultant physicians to use the pay-doctor cheque scheme, as it provides assurance that they will receive some payment for the services that they have provided. As I have said, this will provide much needed relief to many patients by enabling them to avoid having to pay the full up-front costs of a medical bill when they visit a private specialist or consultant physician. Access to the scheme will be dependent on the original claim being submitted electronically to Medicare Australia. This will also provide a direct benefit to patients, who will not be required to visit a Medicare office to claim their rebate—a particular benefit for those who through illness, disability or distance do not have easy access to a Medicare office.

I commend this bill to the House. I thank the members of the government who have spoken on this bill, particularly in respect of many elderly patients in their electorates whom they are seeking to represent. I hope that the bill will be supported by the opposition.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.

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

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