Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health) Share this | Hansard source

The Senate is considering the Health Insurance Amendment (90 Day Pay Doctor Cheque Scheme) Bill 2008. The 90 Day Pay Doctor Cheque Scheme was introduced by the Howard government in 2001 to guarantee the payment of Medicare schedule fees to general practitioners even when accounts were not paid. At the time the scheme was introduced it was noted that the nonpayment of patients’ accounts is not limited to GPs. This bill proposes to extend the scheme to a wider range of medical practitioners, specifically specialists, consultant physicians and pathologists. This extension will give an incentive for a wider range of medical practitioners to use electronic claiming of Medicare benefits because the bill proposes that access to the scheme will depend upon the original claim being lodged electronically. We commend the bill to the Senate.