{"id":"F2021L01762","name":"National Health (Concession Card or Entitlement Card Fee) Determination 2021","slug":"national-health-concession-card-or-entitlement-card-fee-determination-2021","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":102212,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2021L01762-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-03","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Name","content":"#### 1 Name\n\n  (1) This instrument is the National Health (Concession Card or Entitlement Card Fee) Determination 2021.\n  (2) This instrument may also be cited as PB 133 of 2021.","sortOrder":0},{"sectionNumber":"3","sectionType":"section","heading":"Authority","content":"#### 3 Authority\n\n  This instrument is made under section 84HA of the National Health Act 1953.","sortOrder":1},{"sectionNumber":"5","sectionType":"section","heading":"Definitions","content":"#### 5 Definitions\n\n  In this instrument:\n\n> Act means the National Health Act 1953.\n\n> safety net concession card means a safety net concession card issued under section 84DA of the Act.\n\n> pharmaceutical benefits entitlement card means a pharmaceutical benefits entitlement card issued under section 84E of the Act.","sortOrder":2},{"sectionNumber":"6","sectionType":"section","heading":"Fee payable to approved pharmacist etc. for issuing card","content":"#### 6 Fee payable to approved pharmacist etc. for issuing card\n\n  (1) For the purposes of section 84HA of the National Health Act 1953, the fee payable for the issue of a card of a kind mentioned in subsection (2) is $12.78.\n  (2) The kinds of cards are:\n    (a) a safety net concession card;\n    (b) a pharmaceutical benefits entitlement card; and\n    (c) an additional or replacement card for a kind of card mentioned in paragraph (a) or (b).","sortOrder":3}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This instrument remains tightly focused on its original purpose: setting the fee payable to pharmacists for issuing concession and entitlement cards under the National Health Act 1953. The scope has not expanded beyond this narrow administrative function."},"complexity_factors":["Only 3 defined terms in the interpretation section","Single operative provision with straightforward fee calculation","No cross-references beyond the enabling Act","No conditional logic, exceptions, or nested provisions","Total length is 6 short sections, with only 1 substantive provision","Fee amount is a fixed dollar figure with no variables or calculations required"],"plain_english_summary":"This is a short, technical rule that sets the price for certain healthcare cards in Australia. Specifically, it says that when a pharmacist issues a **safety net concession card** or a **pharmaceutical benefits entitlement card** (or a replacement for either), the government will pay that pharmacist **$12.78** per card.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- **Approved pharmacists** — they receive this fee from the government when they issue these cards to patients\n- **Patients** — people who qualify for the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) safety net, which caps how much they pay for prescription medicines\n\n**Why it matters:**\nThese cards are important because they prove that someone has reached the \"safety net\" threshold — meaning they've spent enough on prescription medicines that they now qualify for cheaper or free medications for the rest of the year. This determination simply sets the administrative fee that compensates pharmacists for the paperwork and processing involved in issuing these cards."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Determination does not change who is eligible for cards or the statutory powers governing issuance; it only sets the dollar amount payable for issuing specified cards (see section 6(1)–(2) and section 3 for authority)."},"complexity_factors":["Very short instrument that does one concrete thing: fixes a single fee amount (section 6(1)).","Cross-references to the National Health Act 1953 (section 84HA) require readers to consult the Act for payer, eligibility and administrative detail (section 3).","Includes specific covered card types and replacement/additional cards which slightly expand operational scope (section 6(2)).","No procedural or timing rules in the Determination itself (implementation details located in the Act), which reduces complexity within the instrument but requires cross-document reading."],"plain_english_summary":"What this instrument does\n\n- This Determination sets a fixed fee of $12.78 that is payable for the issue of certain health cards (section 6(1)).\n- The kinds of cards covered are: a safety net concession card, a pharmaceutical benefits entitlement card, and any additional or replacement card of those kinds (section 6(2)).\n- The instrument is made under section 84HA of the National Health Act 1953 (section 3). Definitions used in the instrument come from section 5 (for example, definitions of “safety net concession card” and “pharmaceutical benefits entitlement card”).\n\nWho is affected and who decides\n\n- The payment is described as a fee \"payable to an approved pharmacist etc.\" for issuing the cards (section 6). The Determination fixes the dollar amount of that fee.\n- The power to make the Determination comes from the National Health Act 1953 (section 3, referring to section 84HA of the Act). The Determination does not itself set the broader eligibility, administrative or payment processes; those are matters in the Act that the Determination implements by specifying the fee amount.\n\nWhy it matters (mechanics, incentives and costs)\n\n- Mechanically, each time an eligible card of the listed kinds is issued (including additional or replacement cards), a fee of $12.78 is established as payable for that issue (section 6(1)–(2)).\n- The Determination creates a per-card payment stream to the person or entity described as an \"approved pharmacist etc.\" (section 6). That provides a direct financial incentive tied to the number of cards issued.\n- The immediate fiscal effect is the obligation (under the Act’s framework) to pay $12.78 per qualifying card issued; the Determination does not itself describe the payer or the timing/method of payment—those operational details sit in the Act and its administrative arrangements (see section 3). \n\nTrade-offs, implementation and compliance notes\n\n- The measure is narrowly targeted to set the unit fee only; it does not broaden or narrow which people can receive the cards, nor change the statutory powers that govern issuance (definitions and authority are in sections 5 and 3 respectively).\n- Because the Determination specifies only the amount, administrative detail (how payments are made, record-keeping, claims processes) will be handled under the Act and implementing rules. That concentrates legal change in price rather than in process or eligibility (section 6 and section 3).\n- The Determination covers replacement and additional cards (section 6(2)(c)), so repeated issuances will attract the fee each time, creating ongoing per-transaction cost exposure for the payer under the Act and ongoing revenue opportunity for approved issuers.\n\nKey source references: section 3 (authority), section 5 (definitions), section 6(1)–(2) (fee amount and covered cards)."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/national-health-concession-card-or-entitlement-card-fee-determination-2021","history":"/api/acts/national-health-concession-card-or-entitlement-card-fee-determination-2021/history","analysis":"/api/acts/national-health-concession-card-or-entitlement-card-fee-determination-2021/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/national-health-concession-card-or-entitlement-card-fee-determination-2021/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/national-health-concession-card-or-entitlement-card-fee-determination-2021/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/national-health-concession-card-or-entitlement-card-fee-determination-2021/documents"}}