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Why Aussies pay more for dental care than most OECD countries

An analysis of thirty one countries part of The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development shows Australia ranked 6th for per capita expenditure on dental.

The list includes countries like Japan, France and Germany.

Greens Senator Jordan Steele-John deep dives on the case for dental to join Medicare on this episode of The Briefing:

The bulk of the eleven point one billion dollars spent is individually funded. Only 2.3 billion dollars of that is paid for by federal, state or territory governments. 

Many Australians can’t afford to visit the dentist, and this is evident in a national rise in untreated dental decay and other oral health problems.

What’s the reason our out of pocket cost is so high?  

Experts say it boils down to dental care sitting outside of Medicare.

More than half of what the Federal Government spends on dental services goes towards subsiding private health insurance. 
 
Grattan Research says the share a patient pays for dental care is nine times higher than a GP visit and five times higher than for medicines covered by the pharmaceutical benefits scheme.  
 
Most Australians with private health insurance receive a private health insurance rebate. This is a contribution from government to help pay the cost of premiums. 

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Experts while the rebate exists to help relieve the public health system, the funding only benefits those who can afford private health insurance and does not benefit the most disadvantaged.  

In 2023 a Senate Inquiry called for the government to create universal access to dental health care.

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