PDF version: Terms of Reference – Contracting and Default Benefits Working Group of the Private Health Ministerial Advisory Committee (PDF 82 KB)
Purpose
The Contracting and Default Benefits Working Group (the Working Group) brings together key stakeholders with expertise in the private health insurer/hospital contracting environment to work in partnership on the development of possible reforms to contracting and private health insurance default benefit arrangements.
The Working Group has a key role in advising the Private Health Ministerial Advisory Committee (the Committee) on possible reforms to contracting, minimum and second-tier default benefits.
Functions
The role of the Working Group is to provide advice to the Committee on possible reforms covering:
- private health insurer/hospital contracting arrangements;
- the Commonwealth-determined minimum default benefit;
- the Commonwealth-determined second-tier default benefit; and
- other related issues as directed by the Committee.
Noting that the Working Group may not come to agreement on all issues, members of the Working Group commit to:
- acting in a collegiate and collaborative manner when discussing and resolving issues; and
- respecting the confidentiality of Working Group and Committee procedures.
The Working Group will report to the Committee.
External Support
The Working Group may be supported through the commissioning of external advice (through the Department of Health) if required. The Working Group Chair must first seek agreement from the Committee Chair.
Membership
The Working Group is chaired by Mr Steve Somogyi. Members are appointed for their private health industry knowledge, and expertise and experience in private health sector contracting.
With the Working Group Chair’s prior approval, individuals and organisations who are not members may be invited to participate in the Working Group discussions where they have particular knowledge, expertise or experience.
A quorum for a meeting is the Chair and half the Working Group membership plus one. A quorum of members must be present before a meeting can proceed. A member who is unable to attend a meeting should advise the Chair and the Secretariat as soon as possible.
Confidentiality
Members are required to sign confidentiality agreements and declare any real or potential conflicts of interests at the commencement of each meeting. All working group members have an obligation to maintain confidence of all matters arising within the working group and to maintain this confidence even after their membership of the Working Group has expired. Working Group members are specifically obligated to refrain from making any comment or statement concerning any working group matter to any member of the media. The Chair of the Committee or the Committee secretariat will coordinate all media contact.
Timing
The Working Group will meet in person or via teleconference. The Working Group is expected to meet approximately three times during February and March 2017. The Working Group can meet more or less frequently if required, and will report to the Committee.
Decisions and consideration of issues can be made out of session by the Working Group including by teleconference or videoconference.
Secretariat
The Department of Health will provide the required level of secretariat support for the Chair and the Working Group. Papers will be distributed to the Working Group members at least five working days before a Working Group meeting, except with the Chair’s agreement. The agenda for meetings will be agreed between the Chair of the Working Group and the Secretariat. The Chair and/or the Secretariat may consult with the Chair of the Committee in developing any papers.
In this section
- Summary of the first meeting of the Private Health Ministerial Advisory Committee – Information Provision for Consumers Working Group, 28 February 2017
- Summary of the Second meeting of the Private Health Ministerial Advisory Committee – Information Provision for Consumers Working Group, 21 March 2017
- Summary of the first meeting of the Private Health Ministerial Advisory Committee – Clinical Definitions Working Group,
22 March 2017
- Summary of the second meeting of the Private Health Ministerial Advisory Committee – Clinical Definitions Working Group, 19 April 2017
- Terms of Reference – Risk Equalisation Working Group of the Private Health Ministerial Advisory Committee
- Summary of Meeting 1 of the Risk Equalisation Working Group 5 October 2017
- Private Health Ministerial Advisory Committee
- Summary of Meeting 2 of the Risk Equalisation Working Group 16 October 2017
- Summary of Meeting 3 of the Risk Equalisation Working Group 6 November 2017
- Summary of the eleventh meeting of the Private Health Ministerial Advisory Committee,
8 November 2017, Department of Health offices (Sirius building), Canberra
- Summary of the Fourth Meeting of the Risk Equalisation Working Group 11 December 2017
- Summary of the ninth meeting of the Private Health Ministerial Advisory Committee, 14 June 2017, Parliament House, Canberra
- Summary of the second meeting of the Private Health Ministerial Advisory Committee, 9 November 2016, Department of Health offices (Sirius Building), Canberra
- Summary of the third meeting of the Private Health Ministerial Advisory Committee, 7 December 2016, Department of Health offices (Sirius Building), Canberra
- Summary of the workshop on improving the value of private health for rural and remote consumers
- Contracting and Default Benefits Working Group, 9 February 2017
- Summary of the first meeting of the Private Health Ministerial Advisory Committee – Contracting and Default Benefits Working Group, 2 February 2017, Department of Health offices
(Scarborough House), Canberra
- Summary of the fourth meeting of the Private Health Ministerial Advisory Committee, 1 February 2017, Department of Health offices, Canberra
- Terms of Reference – Clinical Definitions Working Group of the Private Health Ministerial Advisory Committee
- Terms of Reference – Contracting and Default Benefits Working Group of the Private Health Ministerial Advisory Committee
- Terms of Reference – Information Provision for Consumers Working Group of the Private Health Ministerial Advisory Committee
- Contracting and Default Benefits Working Group, 21 February 2017
- Contracting and Default Benefits Working Group, 3 March 2017
- Summary of the fifth meeting of the Private Health Ministerial Advisory Committee, 22 February 2017, Department of Health offices
- Summary of the tenth meeting of the Private Health Ministerial Advisory Committee, 7 September 2017, Parliament House, Canberra