Shorten bites into Medicare for older teeth

Labor leader Bill Shorten has ­offered $1000 in dental subsidies to pensioners and seniors under a $2.4 billion extension of Medicare.

Bill Shorten has announced “the next step” in the evolution of Medicare, with 2.6 million pensioners and another 380,000 ­people with a seniors card to have up to $1000 in dental work covered every two years.

Labor leader Bill Shorten has ­offered $1000 in dental subsidies to pensioners and seniors, under a proposed $2.4 billion extension of Medicare, and vowed to negotiate a much larger federal-funded oral health program with the states if elected.

Addressing a Victorian rally yesterday, Mr Shorten announced “the next step” in the evolution of Medicare, with 2.6 million pensioners and another 380,000 ­people with a seniors card to have up to $1000 in dental work covered every two years.

Private dentists would be in­vited to bulk-bill eligible patients under Medicare — amounts above the $1000 may still be covered by health insurance — ­although a new schedule of benefits has yet to be determined.

“There’s nothing I’m more proud of than the fact we will be able to do something that has been talked about for so long, something that will make a real difference in the lives of Australian pensioners and seniors,” Mr Shorten said.

The major policy pledge came two days after the Greens proposed $3.5bn be spent extending Medicare-funded dental services to pensioners, seniors, carers, ­people on the disability support pension, concession cardholders and all children and teenagers.

With Labor not releasing independent costings, or saying where the funding would come from, Health Minister Greg Hunt took the opportunity to warn Mr Shorten’s promises could end up costing taxpayers $6bn.

“This latest promise also runs the risk of a major blowout, with no information on how it will not lead to higher dental costs and a profit windfall for dental companies, which is exactly a repeat of their pathology scandal,” Mr Hunt said.

In his speech, Mr Shorten ­applauded a former Labor government for introducing the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, which is up for review. Yet his government would initially accept the ­Coalition’s National Partnership Agreement on Public Dental Services for Adults — despite Labor states complaining of being short-changed.

While the proposed subsidies would lessen demand, even Labor health spokeswoman Catherine King yesterday declared “what we have seen from the Morrison government is over $300 million a year cut from our public dental system”.

The agreement is due to end in June but the Coalition government set aside funds in the budget to extend it to 2020. If elected, Labor would use the extra time to negotiate a “substantial” increase in federal oral health funding for the states, under a different service model altogether.

The states would be asked to bulk bill all eligible public patients, gaining access to Medicare on the proviso that they not reduce their existing levels of public dental spending.

Mr Shorten’s announcements yesterday gained the in-principle support of Australian Dental ­Association president Carmelo Bonanno, who said it was “critically important that a Labor government works with the ADA in developing the finer details … as there are a number of issues that need to be addressed to ensure a smooth implementation and greatest uptake of the scheme”.

Consumers Health Forum chief executive Leanne Wells also welcomed the policy, saying “poor oral health not only leads to poor outcomes for people, but it is a burden for the system — the cause ­behind tens of thousands of avoidable hospital admissions in its own right”.

Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association chief executive Alison Verhoeven said “public dental health services have been grossly underfunded for too long”.