Dental benefits to be introduced in 2017
The Ministry of Social Affairs and the Health Insurance Fund have submitted a plan to the government to pay dental care benefit to adults in the amount of €30 a year starting Jul. 1, 2017. Pensioners, pregnant women, and other groups who are already compensated for their dental care would receive €85 a year.
According to the plan, the €30 can be used to cover 50% of the cost of dental care, while the other 50% has to be covered by the patient.
The groups that already receive the benefit, namely pensioners, pregnant women, mothers of children younger than a year, and people with special needs, only need to pay 15% of the cost themselves, while the rest can be covered with a total benefit of 85 euros.
The total cost of the benefit scheme is planned to be €16.6m in 2017, assuming that the benefit will be used by 51% of the target group. If the benefit was used by 66%, the cost would amount to €20.9m.
The benefit would have to be used within the calendar year. No part of it could be transferred to the next year. It could be used to cover the costs of essential services, while patients would have to pay for other services themselves.
Editor: Editor: Dario Cavegn
Source: BNS