Andrew Laming (Bowman, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Health Services and Indigenous Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

asked the Minister for Health and Ageing, in writing, on 22 September 2011:

In respect of the 19(2) Exemptions Initiative, what sum has been paid by Medicare to Australian public hospitals for individual outpatient consultations since the introduction of '19(2)'; and can she present this information by public hospital in each State and Territory, if not, by jurisdiction of hospitals eligible and ineligible according to '19(2)' population criteria.

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

The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:

Annual reports provided by participating jurisdictions to the Commonwealth indicate that exempted sites have claimed approximately $8.72 million in Medicare benefits for eligible services since the commencement of the Improving Access to Primary Care in Rural and Remote Areas (the COAG s19(2) Exemptions Initiative) to June 2011.

A breakdown of these claims by participating jurisdiction and approved site is at Attachment ACOAG s19(2) Exemptions Initiative Sites

# These amounts are provided by the jurisdictional health department's annual report.

* Included in the Mareeba figure.