(1) How many Gold Card holders are there in Australia.

(2) How many services have been provided to veterans in 2002.

(3) What percentage of services to Gold Card holders were bulk billed in 2002.

(1) 282,017 (as at 30 September 2002).

(2) The total number of services for all treatment types paid by the Health Insurance Commission (HIC) on behalf of the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) for the 2001-02 financial year was 17,297,046. This is comprised of the following:

· Gold Card treatment (veterans) - 10,841,804

· Gold Card treatment (war widow/widowers) - 6,005,917

· White Card treatment (veterans) - 449,325

The figures above represent services by all providers (general practitioners, specialists, private hospitals and allied health providers) but do not include public hospitals.

(3) The term bulk billing is not normally used in describing a feature of the DVA/HIC system of payment for medical and allied health providers. When a veteran or a dependant Gold Cardholder receives treatment, the client's details are recorded on a claim form which is forwarded to HIC, which pays the provider, on behalf of DVA. The Department's registered Local Medical Officers receive 100% of the Medical Benefits Schedule fee for medical services. General practitioners who are not registered to DVA receive 85% of the Medical Benefits Schedule fee, plus 60 cents.

Similarly, when the holder of a White Card receives treatment for an accepted war/service caused condition, the provider is paid by HIC for that treatment on behalf of DVA.

This is the method by which the Department pays for the vast majority of services provided to veterans by medical and allied health providers and would represent over 99% of payments.