Section C: Fees for Other Services

1. Residential Aged Care Service Fees

Public Sector Residential Aged Care Service (RACS) fees (funding and resident contributions) are determined by the Commonwealth under the Aged Care Act 1997.

These fees are issued and available from the Commonwealth only. A current table of fees is listed at:
http://www.health.gov.au/internet/wcms/publishing.nsf/Content/Financial+Information-2

If public sector RACS require any information on Commonwealth-regulated fees, they should contact the respective Commonwealth officer who administers their RACS's claims.

The State provides additional funding for selected public sector RACS through an Agency's SAM agreement.

2. Community Health Services

Hospitals which provide community health services funded by the Community Health Program are required to comply with the Community Health Program Fees Policy which specifies principles, fee levels, and exemptions. DH Funding for Community Health Services assume revenue from client fees. The Policy and Further Information is available at the Community Health website.

3. Preventive Health Care and Management

The Commonwealth has advised that as from 1 November 1999 (refer Commonwealth Circular HBF 598) and 1 November 2000 (refer Commonwealth Circular HBF 677), new items on the MBS have been created for preventative health care and management. These measures will enhance primary care particularly for older Australians, people with chronic illnesses and those who require a range of services to support them in the community.

A small number of care plans and case conferencing MBS item numbers refer to private admitted privately insured hospital patients (other than nursing home type patients) in respect of hospital treatment provided in hospitals or day hospital facilities. No facility benefit prescribed under the Default Table apply. Full conditions to be met before benefits will be paid and full description details are in he most current MBS book.

Reference: Circular No.12/1999 effective: from 1 November 1999 and
                 Circular No. 2/2003 effective: from 1 November 2002

4. Home Enteral Nutrition (HEN)

Co-payments for Home Enteral Nutrition ceased as of 4 November 2005

Reference Circular 23 2005

5. Transition Care Program

Daily care fees for recipients of the Transition Care Program (TCP) are determined by the Commonwealth under the Aged Care Act 1997.

Maximum care fee charges must not exceed 84% of the basic single age pension for care delivered in a bed based setting and 17.5% of the basic single age pension for care delivered in a home based setting. Such fees may be adjusted twice yearly (March and September) in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which also affects the age pension payment.

On the 20 March 2012, the maximum daily care recipient fees were $41.71 for a bed based service and $8.69 for a home based service.

The basic single age pension was also adjusted on the 20 March 2012 to $695.30 per fortnight and for couples $524.10 each per fortnight.

A care recipient's access to the TCP should not be influenced by their ability to pay the specified fees, but should be decided on the basis of need for care, which includes the capacity of the service provider to meet that need.

Further information regarding the TCP is available at the Australian Government, Department of Health and Ageing Aged and Community Care Transition Care Program Website.

The TCP is jointly funded by the Commonwealth and State/Territory Governments. The Commonwealth Government subsidy component is paid based on occupancy and requires health services to submit a monthly claim form to Medicare Australia. The State subsidy component is paid directly to the health service and is based on full operational capacity. A single national Commonwealth subsidy component was in place until the end of 2007-08. This was altered in 2008-09 following the endorsement of the incoming government's election commitment for a further 2,000 transition care places over a four year period. The Commonwealth Government intends to fully fund the recurrent costs to governments for the additional allocation, but this may not be evident until the end of 2011-12, when all 4,000 TCP places will be operational in Australia. As such, a single jurisdictional subsidy rate was introduced, which was influenced by the number of additional places allocated to a health service and how promptly such places became operational in each financial year.

The Commonwealth subsidy component for Victorian transition care services in 2011-12 is $175.08 per occupied place per day. The State Government subsidy component is $37 for home based places and $143 for bed based places. In addition to this bed day support, the State Government also provides implementation and other operational support, including initiatives to improve and develop the transition care service.

6. Victorian Patient Transport Assistance Scheme

The Victorian Patient Transport Assistance Scheme (VPTAS) aims to improve accessibility of specialist medical and oral health services for rural Victorian residents by reducing the financial disadvantage of patients living in rural areas who require specialist services.

VPTAS provides partial reimbursement to assist with travel and accommodation costs incurred by rural patients and if appropriate, their escorts, when travelling long distances or staying away from home to receive specialist medical treatment.

The VPTAS policy sets out the eligibility criteria, reimbursement rates and conditions under which the scheme operates.

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