Dental Coverage Benefits under Medicare
Dental care should be part of healthy lifestyle. However, some people underestimate the importance of proper dental hygiene. What they don’t know is, it’s paramount to maintain a healthy set of teeth for a healthy smile. Poor dental hygiene is associated with a myriad of dental problems such as cavities, tooth decay and gum disease. Statistics have it that in Australia, dental cavities, especially among children, is the most prevalent health concern.
A majority of people, especially from low-income earning families, have long complained that the cost of dental services is too high for them. In the bid to make dental services affordable for such families, the government initiated a program funded under Medicare known as Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS). Currently, this is the only dental benefit under Medicare.
What is Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS)?
CDBS is a new dental program by the Australian government that took effect from 1st January 2014. The program replaced the Medicare Teen Dental Plan. CDBS provides eligible children who are between the age of 2 and 17 with up to $1000 of dental benefits capped over two consecutive calendar years. The scheme allows eligible children to receive a broad range of dental services from their Medicare dentist including dental checkups, x-rays, cleanings and dental scaling.
Who is Eligible for the Program?
The Department of Human Services assesses eligible children from the start of every calendar year. For a child to be eligible, he or she must be between 2 years and 17 years old at any point in the calendar year. The child’s family must also be receiving relevant government funding such as Family Tax Benefit. Once a child has been found eligible, a notification will be sent to the parent or guardian via a letter or electronically. Department of Human Services also carries routine check-ups during the year to ascertain if any other new children are eligible.
Will I be expected to meet any Out-of-pocket Cost?
As long as your dentist offers bulk billing services, you will not meet any dental cost covered by CDBS. All you will be required to do is present your Medicare card, and the dentist will do the rest. If the dentist does not offer bulk billing services, then you will be required to pay for the full dental services but then file for a refund from Medicare. To file for a refund, you will require a receipt indicating your name, the dental services received from your dentist, the cost associated with every service, the dentist name and the date when you received the dental services. However, to avoid going through all that it is important that you look for a Medicare dentist who offers Medicare bulk-billing services.
What is Bulk Billing Services?
Bulk billing services are where a Medicare dentist offers dental treatments under dental Medicare Benefits to the patient and then files for a claim on behalf of the patient. This means that the patient will not have to spend any out of pocket cost so long as the service is covered under Medicare CDBS. Not all dentists accept to offer bulk-billing services.
Bottom Line
At Carrum Downs Dental clinic we accept to offer dental services to our patients under Medicare Child Dental Benefits Schedule. We also offer bulk billing services to our patients meaning that they will not have to go through the hustle of filing for a rebate.
Visit Carrum Downs Dental Group today and get a chance to enjoy your Medicare benefits as well as receive quality dental services from well qualified and experienced dentists.
