Commonwealth Oral Health Programs 2008
Commonwealth Oral Health Programs - Overview | Medicare Teen Dental Plan | Commonwealth Dental Health ProgramCommonwealth Oral Health Programs - Overview
The Commonwealth Government is providing $780 M towards dental care under two new programs - the Commonwealth Dental Health Program and the Medicare Teen Dental Plan, as well as under the Medicare Enhanced Primary Care Program
Medicare Teen Dental Plan
The Commonwealth Government is providing $490 Million over five years for the Medicare Teen Dental Plan.
From 1st July 2008, Medicare will provide $150 (through a newly established Dental Benefits Schedule) per eligible teenager towards an annual preventative dental check, including an oral examination and, if required, x-rays, a scale and clean, removal of calculus, fluoride treatment, oral hygiene instruction, dietary advice, and/or fissure sealing.
The scheme will operate by way of a voucher that will be sent to all eligible teenagers by Medicare. The first mail out of vouchers will occur in July and August 2008. These vouchers will be valid until the end of the 2008 calendar year. From January 2009, further mail outs of vouchers will occur in January of each year, and these vouchers will be valid for that calendar year.
Vouchers may be used through either a private dentist, or through the public oral health service.
Clients choosing to use their voucher through the public system should be advised that they will have to go through the normal process for accessing public oral health services, by calling the oral health call centre for their local Area Health Service. They will not be given additional priority just because they have a Medicare Teen Dental Plan voucher.
Clients wishing to use their vouchers through a private dentist should be aware that they may face a co-payment for the dental check, and that any additional treatment costs will be at their own expense. Clients should be able to take this voucher to any dentist; however some dentists may choose not to participate in this program. Information about finding a private dentist can be found on the Australian Dental Association (ADA) web site.
Enquiries or concerns regarding the Medicare Teen Dental Plan in general should be directed to Medicare.
Medicare number for information for clients: 132 011
Medicare number for information for providers: 132 150
Commonwealth Dental Health Program
The Commonwealth Government is providing $290 million over three years to State and Territory governments to fund up to one million additional dental visits. From this funding, NSW is expected to receive approximately $91.3 Million over three years to provide an additional 327,200 dental visits to persons eligible for public oral health services.
The NSW Government and NSW Health welcome the cooperative approach being taken by the Commonwealth to assist states in the provision of public oral health services. Under the Commonwealth Dental Health Program, NSW Health and Area Health Services are required to give additional priority to people with chronic conditions, pre-school children, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
The Commonwealth Dental Health Program will not change the way that an eligible patient accesses public oral health services in NSW. Access to the Commonwealth Dental Health Program in NSW will only be through the Priority Oral Health Program, by calling the Oral Health call centre for your Area Health Service.
Eligible patients will receive the same range of treatment services available through current public oral health services.
Assessments and treatment will be provided either through public oral health clinics, or through private dentists via a voucher scheme (NSW Oral Health Fee for Service Scheme) issued by the public oral health service. It will be up to the Area Health Service protocol and/or the dental clinician providing the assessment to determine which patients are issued with a voucher.
More details on vouchers issued under this Scheme can be found in the NSW Oral Health Fee for Service Scheme Fact Sheet.
NSW Health is using some of the Commonwealth funding to invest for the future. NSW Health will provide additional dental chairs in high need areas, including Nepean, Dubbo and Shoalhaven, and will develop statewide programs designed to improve the quality and responsiveness of oral health services to the needs of indigenous communities, and people with chronic conditions and special needs.