1. (1) This Act may be cited as the Health Insurance (Pathology Services) Amendment Act 1991.

(2) In this Act, “Principal Act” means the Health Insurance Act 1973¹.

Commencement

2. (1) Subject to subsection (2), this Act commences on the day on which it receives the Royal Assent.

(2) Each of the provisions of subsections 4 (1) and 5 (1) is taken to have commenced on the day, or at the time, shown by the note in italics at the foot of that provision.

4. (1) Schedule 1 to the Principal Act is amended:

(a) by inserting in each of items 1345 and 1346 in the table of medical services “(other than a microbiological or tissue antigen or antibody)” after “substance”;

Commencement: 1 January 1980.

(b) by adding at the end of the rules for the interpretation of the table of medical services the following rules:

“A.1. If a particular service falls within both:

only the item that describes the service in specific terms is taken to relate to the service.

“A.2. If:

the item that specifies the lower or lowest fee is taken to be the item that relates to the service.”;

Commencement: 1 January 1980.

(c) by inserting each of the following items in its appropriate numerical position in the table of medical services:

Commencement: 1 March 1984.

(d) by omitting from the table of medical services items 2294 (3), 2294 (4), 2295 (3) and 2295 (4) and substituting the following items:

Commencement: 15 June 1984.

(e) by inserting each of the following items in its appropriate numerical position in the table of medical services:

Commencement: Immediately after the commencement of Statutory Rules 1985 No. 149 on 1 July 1985.

(f) by omitting from the table of medical services items 2294 (3), 2294 (4), 2295 (3) and 2295 (4) and substituting the following items:

Commencement: 14 March 1986.

(2) Similar amendments to the amendments made by paragraph (1) (a) are taken to have been made to each table of medical services that:

after 1 January 1980 and before 1 August 1986.

(3) The rules added to the table of medical services in Schedule 1 to the Principal Act are taken to have been added to each table of medical services that:

after 1 January 1980 and before 1 August 1986.

(4) If:

another table of medical services was prescribed for the purposes of subsection 4 (2) of that Act and had effect (under subsection 4 (3) of that Act) as if it had been set out in that Schedule in the place of the first-mentioned table, that other table is taken to have had effect as if that item had been inserted in it.

Schedule 1 a

5. (1) Schedule 1a to the Principal Act is amended:

(a) by inserting in each of items 1345 and 1346 in the pathology services table “(other than a microbiological or tissue antigen or antibody)” after “substance”;

Commencement: Immediately after the commencement of section 52 of the Health Legislation Amendment Act 1986 on 1 August 1986.

(b) by adding at the end of the rules for interpretation of the pathology services table the following rules:

“A.1. If a particular service falls within both:

only the item that describes the service in specific terms is taken to relate to the service.

“A.2. If:

the item that specifies the lower or lowest fee is taken to be the item that relates to the service.”;

Commencement: Immediately after the commencement of section 52 of the Health Legislation Amendment Act 1986 on 1 August 1986.

(c) by inserting each of the following items in its appropriate numerical position in the pathology services table:

Commencement: Immediately after the commencement of section 52 of the Health Legislation Amendment Act 1986 on 1 August 1986.

(2) Similar amendments to the amendments made by paragraph (1) (a) are taken to have been made to each pathology services table that:

after 1 August 1986 and before 1 August 1989.

(3) The rules added by paragraph (1) (b) to the pathology services table in Schedule 1a of the Principal Act are taken to have been added:

(a) to each pathology services table that:

(i) was prescribed for the purposes of subsection 4a (2) of the Principal Act; and

(ii) had effect (under subsection 4a (3) of that Act) as if it had been set out in that Schedule;

after 1 August 1986 and before the commencement of this subsection; and

(b) to the pathology services table that was substituted for the table then in that Schedule by the Community Services and Health Legislation Amendment Act 1989.

(4) The items inserted by paragraph (1) (c) in the pathology services table in Schedule 1a of the Principal Act are taken to have been inserted in each pathology services table that:

after 1 August 1986 and before 1 August 1989.

Transitional

6. (1) Where:

the person is taken to have been entitled to receive in respect of the service the amount of benefit that was paid.

(2) Where:

the person is taken to be entitled to receive in respect of the service the higher of:

(3) Where:

the person is taken to have been entitled to receive in respect of the service the amount of benefit that was paid.

(4) Where:

the person is taken to be entitled to receive the higher of:

(5) If, apart from this subsection, an amount to which a person is taken to be, or to have been, entitled under this section, would not be an amount payable by the Commonwealth under Part II of the Principal Act, that amount is taken, for the purposes of section 125 of that Act, to be an amount payable by the Commonwealth under that Part.