PHI 71/24 Private Health Insurance Legislation Amendment Rules (No. 6) 2024

This circular provides information about hospital nursing home-type patient insurer benefit in hospitals in the Northern Territory.

Date published:
PHI circular type:
PHI announcement
Audience:
Health sector

We administer private health insurance under the Private Health Insurance Act 2007 and associated rules.

The Private Health Insurance Legislation Amendment Rules (No. 6) 2024 (the Amendment Rules) amend the: 

The Amendment Rules amend the Benefit Rules to update the benefits payable by private health insurers per night for private nursing-home type patients (NHTPs) in public hospitals in the Northern Territory (NT).

The Amendment Rules will soon be registered on the Federal Register of Legislation. Notification will also be emailed to the sector.

Nursing‑Home Type Patient (NHTP) accommodation indexation

NHTP contributions and minimum insurer benefits are indexed by the Commonwealth twice annually, on 20 March and 20 September. Jurisdictions are consulted on changes to rates in public hospitals.

Minimum benefit payable by private health insurers for NHTP

The benefit payable per night by private health insurers for NHTP in hospitals is set out in the Benefit Rules Schedule 4 – Nursing-home type patient accommodation: hospitals in all states/territories, Part 6.

Rates were updated from 20 September 2024 for private NHTPs in public hospitals through the Private Health Insurance Legislation Amendment Rules (No. 5) 2024. We announced these updates in PHI 66/24 Private Health Insurance Legislation Amendment Rules (No. 5) 2024. A typographical error was found in our description of the “old” amount of benefit described for the NT. The new Amendment Rules correct our description identifying the “old” benefit so the new amount can be substituted and update the Benefit Rules.

These Amendment Rules have the same amount of updated benefit payable by insurers for private NHTP in NT public hospitals from 20 September 2024 as described in the previous set of Amendment Rules (No 5). There is no change to the amount to be incorporated into the Benefit Rules updates for the NT.

Minimum benefit payable per night by insurers for nursing home type patient accommodation

Public hospitalsMinimum benefit per night
Northern Territory$155.59

More information

Further details on the amendments are included in the Explanatory Statement accompanying the Amendment Rules available on the Federal Register of Legislation website by searching ‘Private Health Insurance Legislation Amendment Rules (No. 6) 2024.’

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