Health Insurance Act 1973

A claim for a medicare benefit in respect of a professional service must be made to the Chief Executive Medicare:

in accordance with any requirements set out in the regulations; and

in the manner and form (if any) approved, by notifiable instrument, by the Chief Executive Medicare; and

within the following period after the rendering of the service, or such further period as is allowed in accordance with subsection (3A):

if the claim is for a medicare benefit the right to the payment of which would be taken to have been assigned under subsection 20A(2)—2 years;

otherwise—1 year.

Without limiting this section, regulations prescribing requirements for the purposes of paragraph (1)(a) may specify any of the following:

requirements that must be met before a claim can be made;

requirements relating to the content of a claim;

requirements relating to the giving of notifications before or at the time a claim is made.

Upon application made by a claimant to the Minister in accordance with the approved form, the Minister may, in his or her discretion, by notice in writing served on the claimant, allow a longer period for making the claim.

In exercising his or her power under subsection (3A) to allow a longer period for making a claim, the Minister shall have regard to all matters that he or she considers relevant, including, but without limiting the generality of the foregoing, any hardship that might be caused to the claimant if a longer period is not allowed.