Health Insurance
Private Health Insurance Branch contacts
Private Health Insurance Branch contacts, structure and areas of responsibility.
The Private Health Insurance Branch of the Department of Health and Ageing has primary departmental responsibility for the regulation, monitoring and reform of the private health industry in Australia.
First Assistant Secretary - Acute Care Division
The First Assistant Secretary of the Division is Kerry Flanagan. Kerry Flanagan can be contacted through her Executive Assistant on (02) 6289 1344.Assistant Secretary
The Assistant Secretary of the Branch is Penny Shakespeare. Penny may be contacted through her Executive Assistant on (02) 6289 9470.Section contacts
The Private Health Insurance Branch is separated into seven Sections. In the first instance, please direct your enquiries to the Director of the relevant section, as detailed below:Policy Development & Implementation Section
Director: Rose Marimon, Ph: (02) 6289 9459- Develop policy frameworks and implement new aspects of private health insurance;
- Engage key stakeholders, including health insurers, hospitals, health care providers, consumers and other relevant groups in policy development and implementation;
- Provide policy advice on private health insurance.
Consumer Strategies Section
Director, Kylie Boland, Ph: (02) 6289 9420- Develop policy and provide advice on consumer issues including: Lifetime Health Cover, portability, gap cover, excesses, corporate products, and discounting;
- Enhance the quality and accessibility of information on private health insurance for consumers;
- Provide policy advice on health cover for overseas visitors and overseas students.
Hospitals Section
Director: Peter Callanan, Ph: (02) 6289 9840- Manage communication across the private health industry, hospitals, state/territory health authorities and the Australian Government, including the distribution of Private Health Insurance Circulars;
- Declaration of new hospitals for payment of private health insurance benefits;
- Manage issues regarding private hospitals, day surgery, ambulance, rehabilitation and psychiatric services;
- Develop innovative private health service arrangements and models of care, in particular for chronic illnesses and long stay patients.
Legal Policy Section
Director: Anne Kingdon, Ph: (02) 6289 8283- Develop and provide legal policy advice on new and emerging issues to improve private health insurance;
- Manage the PHI Act and PHI Rules;
- Engage key stakeholders, including private health insurance funds, private hospitals, consumers and other relevant groups in policy development.
Incentives Policy Section
Director: Pauline Dusink, Ph: (02) 6289 4319- Manage the premium round approval process;
- Analysis of current private health sector data, emerging trends and general information. Including PHIAC, AIHW and ABS publications;
- Provide performance indicator data analysis and information for the performance monitoring framework;
- Monitor the costs of private health insurance, for members and the Australian Government, including the 30% Rebate, the Higher Rebates for Older Australians, premium pricing, reinsurance arrangements and lifetime healthcover.
Prostheses Section - consists of two sub-sections
Director: David O'Neil, Ph: (02) 6289 9850- Prostheses and Devices Committee (PDC)
- the Prostheses List
- Clinical Evaluation and Benefit Negotiation
- Cost recovery
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