THE Greens will today intensify their campaign for the Gillard government to unveil the first tranche of Medicare-funded dentistry in next May's budget.  

Greens leader Bob Brown and health spokesman Richard Di Natale will unveil their proposal for a five-year roll-out for a Denticare scheme, beginning with low-income earners, children and teenagers, pensioners and those with chronic disease.  

With an eye to tight budgetary conditions, the Greens are proposing the scheme be phased in, scaling up each year until it is a universal oral health system by year five. When fully funded, the scheme would cost between $4 billion and $5 billion a year.


The Greens proposal would cover both preventative and restorative dental treatment. The program would also invest in the existing public dental system, and in workforce expansion.

Medicare-funded dentistry was a large part of the Greens' agreement with Julia Gillard to allow her to form a minority government.  

Today's announcement will make it clear the Greens are pushing ahead with their program despite global economic uncertainty, which is likely to affect the Australian budget's bottom line.

The government had promised to return the budget to surplus next financial year, but has acknowledged in recent times that uncertain economic conditions will make that undertaking difficult.

Senator Di Natale said the Greens had been ''generous'' in not insisting that the scheme be delivered earlier this year in Julia Gillard's first budget as prime minister. But he made it clear the government needed to act in May 2012.

''We've made it very clear this was a condition of supporting the government. This has always been one of the party's key priorities,'' he told The Age yesterday.  

A government review is expected in December, providing options for a big overhaul of public dental services. A discussion paper is expected to be issued by an advisory council in November.

Medicare currently funds a scheme for people with chronic conditions. That scheme provides up to $4250 for treatments, and surging demand has seen its cost blow out from $377 million to almost $2 billion in only four years.

Tony Abbott introduced the scheme when he was health minister. The Senate has twice rejected Labor's effort to axe it and replace it with a more targeted system.

Despite Labor's antipathy to the Abbott scheme, its own advisory council appears set to advise the Gillard government to keep the chronic disease program, but impose means-testing or other conditions to keep it rort-proof.

The Greens believe the Abbott scheme, properly reformed and targeted, can be the foundation stone of the Denticare system.

Senator Di Natale said he did not want to be in the business of issuing ultimatums to the Gillard government. ''I don't think that is constructive or helpful,'' he said.

''But this is one of the big national reforms that has to be addressed this decade. It's right up there with the national disability insurance scheme,'' he said.  

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/national/green-push-for-reform-with-teeth-20111106-1n215.html#ixzz1cyMjk1aP

Yep another unfunded bright idea courtesy of the greens.

Here's a hint; a proper policy is costed and funded BEFORE it is recommended.

But then the greens have never been ones for all that minor detail stuff, have they?

The Green's are all for a healthier nation and a sustainable nation.

Greens are the smart party.

http://t0.gstatic.com/imagesq=tbn:ANd9GcSvzZMJgZ5lq7JDQ8mDrw9HHOcdRl241x2MmHod0xSkUfLw0hQRwgI94S8eFA

I think it is silly that dental care was left out of medicare in the first place. Unhealthy teeth and gums puts a lot of stress on the immune system and leaves people open to further medical issues.