This legislation begins the transition from payment of subsidies in advance, to payment in arrears.
The Bill was first introduced in February 2020, with phase 1 implementation scheduled for 1 June 2020; however, due to the effect of COVID-19, it was placed on hold. The Department of Health has since announced that phase 1 will now commence on 1 February 2021. According to the Department, this timing will ‘balance the need to make these changes soon with giving providers enough time to move to the new arrangements’.
We have previously released an analysis of the changes, after the Bill was first introduced. You can read the analysis here.
