It's easy to live a Flexible Life
..with Medtronic Insulin Pump Therapy

Medtronic MiniMed insulin pumps are listed on the Commonwealth Department of Health & Ageing Prostheses List. The item (rebate) codes are:

MC352   Medtronic MiniMed Insulin Infusion Pump System   Model MMT-515
MC351   Medtronic MiniMed Insulin Infusion Pump System   Model MMT-715
MC354   Medtronic MiniMed Insulin Infusion Pump System   Model MMT-522
MC353   Medtronic MiniMed Insulin Infusion Pump System   Model MMT-722

Private health insurance (hospital cover) will, in most circumstances, rebate the full cost of the pump. "Extras" cover is not required. It is necessary to meet any requirements by the individual health funds relating to pre-existing illness & qualifying periods before being eligible for a rebate on an insulin pump. In addition, your policy may include an excess.

To ensure that you will not experience any out of pocket expenses when you are fitted with a pump it is advisable that you check with your private health insurer about your level of cover and the rebate they will provide for an insulin pump.

Members should also bear in mind that, under legislative changes which took effect on 1 st January 2006, private health insurance is more portable as outlined below.

Portability - General Principles

According to the Department of Health press release (number ABB151/05) on 1 st December 2005, Minister for Health and Ageing, Tony Abbot MHR stated that the Commonwealth Government has strengthened the protection for members of private health insurance funds. This will ensure policies remain fully portable.

Six fundamental principles covering portability are as follows:

  1. Health fund members are entitled to transfer their cover to another fund, without penalty, if they are in any way dissatisfied with the quality or range of their cover. This includes matters relating to the competence or quality of the service provided by their health fund or the price of their cover.

  2. The only qualifications on this entitlement, for hospital cover, are that:

    1. Normal waiting periods that apply at the time of transfer should be served out; and

    2. Any additional benefits that were not included in the old cover may be subject to a waiting period. (Differences in specific contractual or funding arrangements with individual health providers should not be regarded as additional benefit.)

  3. Benefit limitation periods in transferring members' cover are prohibited.

  4. A fund member has no obligation to give his or her fund the reas ons for his or her decision to transfer.

  5. There must be no discrimination against a transferring member by a receiving fund on the basis of his or her health status or degree of potential financial risk to the receiving fund.

  6. Health cover exists for the protection and benefit of patients, not providers or funds. Fund and provider self-interest must never be allowed to influence a person's decision about his or her health cover choices.