Health Legislation Amendment (Improving Choice and Transparency for Private Health Consumers) Bill 2026

Senator RUSTON (South Australia—Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) (18:55): by leave—I record the coalition's support for the amendments, and I move amendments (1) to (7) on sheet 3775 together: (1) Schedule 2, item 3, page 18 (line 11), before "the premiums payable", insert "except in the case of a policy that does not *cover *hospital treatment and in relation to which the insurer has not made a change referred to in paragraph 66-10(1)(a) or (b)—".

(2) Schedule 2, item 8, page 20 (line 10), after "premiums", insert "for hospital cover". (3) Schedule 2, item 8, page 20 (line 12), after "premiums", insert "for hospital cover". (4) Schedule 2, item 8, page 20 (lines 17 and 18), after "to be charged under", insert "any policy in the product that *covers *hospital treatment and that belongs to any of".

(5) Schedule 2, item 8, page 20 (line 28), after "policy in the product", insert "that *covers *hospital treatment and". (6) Schedule 2, item 8, page 20 (after line 31), after subsection 66-8(4), insert: (4A) The Minister must do so within 30 days of receiving the application. (4B) However, if at the end of that 30-day period the Minister has not given a written notice to the insurer either approving or refusing to approve the proposed premiums: (a) the Minister is taken (despite subsections (5) and (6)) to have made a decision approving the proposed premiums; and (b) the approval has effect (including for the purposes of subsection (7)) from the day after the end of that 30-day period.

(4C) For the purposes of calculating that 30-day period, do not count a day on which the Minister may refuse to consider the application because of the operation of subsection 66-11(2) or 66-12(3). (7) Schedule 2, item 8, page 26 (lines 24 to 29), omit subsection 66-12(6), substitute: (6) If a private health insurer receives a notice under this section in relation to an application (the original application), and the insurer resubmits the application in accordance with the notice, then for the purposes of section 66-8 or 66-10 (as the case may be): (a) the resubmitted application is taken to have been submitted on the same day as the original application; and (b) the original application is taken to be withdrawn.

Note: This subsection confirms the day on which the resubmitted application is made, which determines whether subsection 66-8(5) or (6) or subsection 66-10(5) or (6) applies in relation to the Minister's decision. It also confirms that the resubmission does not restart any period for the Minister's decision (including a deemed decision under subsection 66-8(4B)).

The intent of these amendments is to amend the approval provisions to stipulate that ministerial approval, in relation to the application of new products, is open to a new product only required for those products that relate to hospital cover. It is not related to products that come under extras policy. We are really concerned at the potential for this to slow down the process of Australians being able to get ready access to new and innovative procedures or services and that this measure, if it is not restricted only to those services for which the purpose of the outline of the government for the reason for doing this particular amendment—if we're not careful, we'll just end up with more bureaucracy, more time, more cost and less access and less timely access for Australians to new and innovative approaches to how they receive their care as it relates to the extras that one accesses through their private health insurance.

Whilst we accept that the intent of the policy is in relation to hospital cover, we do not believe it is necessary for it to be extended to extras policy, because we believe Australians deserve better access, more timely access and quicker access to innovation than they currently are receiving.