New benefit! The Australian government may provide free dental care and include dental services in medical insurance!

According to the Daily Mail, the Australian federal government is considering a proposal to spend A$12 billion a year to expand the Medicare program to dental care, providing free dental care for all Australians.

Currently, Australian patients must pay for all dental visits and treatments out of pocket, with the exception of children under 17 who meet eligibility requirements and some concession card holders.

According to a 2023 report by the Grattan Institute, 321,000 patients who need dental treatment abandon treatment, meaning millions of Australians forgo treatment, with about half citing cost as the main reason.

The report recommends that the National Health Reform Agreement, which is due to be updated next year, should become the mechanism for the federal government to negotiate a new plan with the states.

The Parliamentary Budget Office has costed a range of options for expanding Medicare to include dental as part of a new Greens-led inquiry, with two Labor and Coalition senators each taking part.

The four options identified by the Australian Free Dental Survey include:

• Universal coverage for all Medicare card holders would cost $8.3 billion over five years for a capped option and $11.6 billion for an uncapped option.
• Means-tested rebates for people on income support and pensioners would cost $3 billion for a capped package and $4 billion for an uncapped package.
• Providing full cover only to those aged over 65 would cost $1.7 billion for a capped plan and $2 billion for an uncapped plan.
• Reimbursing all Medicare card holders but covering only preventive measures such as checkups and diagnostic tests would cost $2.7 billion for a capped package and $3.8 billion for an uncapped package.

By comparison, the Medicare program cost the government $31 billion in the last financial year and the National Disability Insurance Scheme $37 billion.

Dental care was initially intended to be covered when the Medicare program was first introduced in the 1970s, but was dropped due to budget constraints.

Health directory Cleanbill estimates Australians paid an average of $230 for a standard dental visit last year.

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