News
Medicare Australia Replaces HIC |
| Spokesperson: | Health Insurance Commission Australian Government |
| Date: | Friday, 23 September 2005 |
| Category: | National Health News |
| On 1 October 2005 the Health Insurance Commission (HIC) becomes Medicare Australia. Medicare Australia will perform all the functions and continue to deliver all the services that were the responsibility of HIC. It is important to note that the way Medicare Australia works with health care providers won't change. There will be no changes to claiming, payment or provider registration systems other than to incorporate the new name. Medicare Australia will honour any cheques issued by HIC, and any agreements entered into with HIC will continue to apply. Providers need make no changes to their billing or claiming arrangements, and Medicare Australia will continue to build a strong, open and responsive relationship with Australia's health care providers. The move to Medicare Australia is part of the Minister for Human Services Joe Hockey's vision for the future of the six agencies that operate under his department. In an address at the National Press Club in April 2005, the Minister said his department would focus on "making people's lives easier through simpler access to government services and benefits". To facilitate this, Medicare Australia will maintain and extend the current strong commitment to online claiming services. To reach Medicare Australia via the Internet, simply replace "hic" with "medicareaustralia" to give: Website: www.medicareaustralia.gov.au E-mail: firstname.surname@medicareaustralia.gov.au Note that for a period of time, the www.hic.gov.au web address will be automatically redirected to www.medicareaustralia.gov.au. However, if you have any bookmarks or favourites stored in your web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer), you might like to update them to the new web address. If you have any queries, please contact your regular HIC liaison person. |
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