Private Health Insurance Amendment (Modernising the Private Health Insurance Rebate) Bill 2026

Summary

The government is changing how it calculates the private health insurance rebate to remove the extra money currently given to people aged 65 and over. From 1 April 2027, older Australians will receive the same rebate amount as younger people with the same income, rather than getting a higher payment based on their age. This simplifies the rebate system under the Private Health Insurance Act 2007 and saves the government about $2.99 billion over four years, money the government says can be redirected to other health and aged care services. The change also requires a technical update to the Age Discrimination Act 2004 to remove a now-unnecessary reference to the old rebate rules.

What happens at this stage

The main debate on whether the chamber supports the broad purpose of the bill. Members speak to its overall merits and concerns rather than the fine print. The government outlines its policy intentions; the opposition and crossbench put their case. This is the stage that determines whether the bill proceeds at all.

Next: Consideration in Detail (House) or Committee of the Whole (Senate), where the bill is examined clause by clause