Medicare Dental Referrals

I get really peeved every time I see the advertisements about Medicare funded dental care on the local papers. They are blatantly and unethically misleading.

The deal is this: You want your teeth whitened. You read the ad. You go see me (your GP). I write up a piece of a joke called a "care plan". You take that to your dentist. Voila! Your teeth get whiter. Your dentist get $4250 richer from Ms Roxon. I get $110 richer from Ms Roxon. Everybody's happy! Right?

NO! NO! and one more time ... NO!

The care plan is for major dental/denture works ONLY for those who are chronically ill. These are the people with poorly controlled diabetes, siginificant heart failure, kidney failure, severe asthma, bronchitis, active cancer therapies, etc.

This means: NOT YOU with the slightly coloured teeth!

And the bruised little toe on your left foot after you fell over 6 weeks ago at the pub does not qualify as a chronic illness.

What bugs me is that we, the general practitioners, somehow get this job of deciding who qualify for this stupid scheme. And we lose both ways: If we refuse we are accused of being mean (a few of my patients have abused me for being unhelpful). If we reluctantly go along then we are accused of rorting the system ... and for what ? 110 bucks?

And it gets worse ...

If the "care plan" was ever found out to be fraud, the doctor pays back $110, AND the $4250 the dentist had spent on the white powder. The doctor also cops a lot of guilt/shame, not counting the fines, etc. ... and for what ? 110 bucks?

And the dentist keeps the money - because he "only follows orders" from the crook doctor!

The government wins because they appear generous.
The dentist wins because he is on your side.
I , your GP, lose because I don't think your teeth are as yellow as you see them.

So if you are inflicted by some real chronic illness and you have rotten teeth, see your DOCTOR first then ask him/her to direct you to the ethical dentists he/she knows.

A good dentist is one who helps you chew your food well.

Having a Hollywood smile does not improve your diabetes.

If the government is serious about dental care for the public, they should pay dental care for everyone. And stop using us GPs as bouncers.

And one more thing. I don't do this plan not because I am afraid of being caught by Medicare. The thing that I am most scared of, the thing that will cause so much guilt for me to lose sleep, the thing that chews me up every time I do something silly, is .... me!