The Private Health Insurance (National Joint Replacement Register Levy) Amendment Bill 2025 amends the existing NJRR Levy Act to transfer the definition of who must pay the levy from the Act itself into subordinate rules under section 8, ensuring consistent cost recovery in line with policy intent.

It also validates prior levy collections and provides transitional arrangements for the 2025–26 financial year.

The Bill amends the Private Health Insurance (National Joint Replacement Register Levy) Act 2009 by:

• Redefining the Private Health Insurance (Medical Devices and Human Tissue Products) Rules and removing the definition of “sponsor” (subsection 5(1)) to clear up ambiguity.
• Repealing subsection 5(2) and replacing references in section 7A so that the person responsible for paying the NJRR levy is specified in the rules made under section 8, rather than in the Act itself.
• Including a validation provision to treat all past levy collections as if the correct payer had been designated under the new rules.
• Setting application and transitional arrangements to apply the amendments to any levy imposed on or after commencement, and requiring the Private Health Insurance (National Joint Replacement Register Levy) Rules 2015 to be updated for the 2025–26 financial year.

Commencing 14 days after Royal Assent, the Bill incurs no net cost to the Commonwealth if in place by 1 March 2026; otherwise the Government would need to cover approximately $3.3 million in unrecouped levies.