Labor under growing pressure on dental cover, the ‘missing element of Medicare’
Labor under growing pressure on dental cover, the ‘missing element of Medicare’
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Albanese government backbenchers among those pushing to add dental to Medicare despite the health minister saying it’s not a priority. Half-a-century after it was left out of Gough Whitlam’s original Medibank scheme, dental care remains a hole in Australia’s public health insurance system.
![[Labor backbencher Dr Mike Freelander]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/40efc7e5501a0344682c10f3bb79c1a38f2a164e/313_0_3601_2162/master/3601.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Federal governments have offered piecemeal solutions in the decades since to make a trip to the dentist more accessible and affordable. But none have been prepared to pursue universal access, leaving millions of Australians to choose between dipping into their wallets or skipping treatment.
![[Stock photo of a Medicare card]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/c5e1409b4c9fc8df03ee7c4a68faa498852b3bfc/0_0_3044_2076/master/3044.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
As the 2025 federal election approaches, Whitlam’s successors in the Albanese government are under growing pressure to at least map out a path to finally add dental to Medicare. Labor backbenchers are among the advocates pushing the case despite the health minister, Mark Butler, confirming it is not a government priority.
![[A dentist treats a patient]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/592ffc6c8ecf5707686f7bab48a54fe2975a984f/0_0_4880_3077/master/4880.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
“I think Labor needs to commit to doing a thorough investigation of it and how we would introduce it,” Mike Freelander, a Labor MP and paediatrician, told Guardian Australia. “My view is coloured by my background. I’m a paediatrician. I see kids with terrible dental care and terrible dental caries (cavities) and dental abscesses.
![[Australian health minister Mark Butler at a press conference in Canberra]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/fa5aa9f4a87118cf6a7e9b7eb912ad2019d0e7d2/0_0_8256_5504/master/8256.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
“Lack of dental care does cause significant pain and suffering, particularly in the paediatric age group, but also in older people.”. The Greens put dental care on the federal election agenda last August, unveiling a policy to expand Medicare coverage to dental services, including regular check-ups and teeth cleans, crowns, orthodontic treatment and oral surgeries.
