The Greens

[Maggie5]

Why is healthy gums and teeth so important? vanity?

Something very odd (in my view) if we care as much about healthy gums and teeth (you dont even need teeth) then preventing heart disease, catching cancer early, treating chronic issues, preventing stokes, treating stomach problems, treating anxiety Etc. In fact it seems quite comical to say healthy gums and teeth is even in the same ball park as all that. Its literally only one tiny part of your entire body and rarely a part that can kill you. It aint the head, heart or lungs let alone the equal of all three combined.

dentists have really won the propoganda health wars when the can convince people checks up with you mouth are as equally as important as the rest of your entire body.

at one point i didnt go to the dentist for 10 years. The first dentist i saw said "you havent been in a while, have you?" with a disaproving tone. "Has it been over a year?" he charged me an extra 30 bucks for the slightly longer teeth clean. yep those healthy gums and teeth are so important.

if the greens Offer a free annual checkup every year for all before we even get offered a free annual gp checkup let alone, breast test, heart test, blood pressure test, annus check then that would be absurd.

ok. Im done posting on the greens free dental topic. Can we go back to broader topics on the greens now?

Gee you have strange opinions on minor things.

I like to take care of my overall health and those of my family. I can afford it so will continue to do it.

Vanity has nothing to do with it. My family has a history of gum disease with some needing dentures.

I realise this may be strange for you given the team I support.

 

[Bushdid911]

The Greens being in league with Big Dental is certainly a topic I did not expect to see this morning

 

[Seeds]

Ummmmmm.... Isn't that what bulk billing is?????

A lot of people dont get access to bulk billing. So no.

 

[Seeds]

Gee you have strange opinions on minor things.

I like to take care of my overall health and those of my family. I can afford it so will continue to do it.

Vanity has nothing to do with it. My family has a history of gum disease with some needing dentures.

I realise this may be strange for you given the team I support.

No that makes total sense. I too advocate for free dental for collingwood supporters. Thats a policy we can all get behind.

 

[Seeds]

It’s the richest country outright in the world.

Per capita, it’s still one of the richest countries. Per capita it’s richer than tiny Finland, or Germany (Germany manages to do the right thing by its citizens and it has 83 million people. Is that big enough yet, or is that still a “small” country”?)

It uses its enormous wealth and power to deliver practically anything it sets its mind to.

But somehow it’s “too big” to deliver on equality for its citizens.

Im not arguing that the usa cant do more to distribute wealth (it certainly can). just that norway aint a fair comparison.

happy to move on from this topic.

 

[Seeds]

Where do you live where you can't get a free checkup at the GP?

inner city melbourne and north brisbane. have managed to get it in south brisbane though. I rarely get bulk billed at the doctors.

 

[Carn The Berries]

Sop

A lot of people dont get access to bulk billing. So no.

Source? Note... We are talking about a simple annual health check-up, nothing more.

 

[Seeds]

Ok im done with talking about dentists. Hopefully ive opened a few eyes

we desperately need more funding for hospitals and gps. not dentistry.

given the greens now have the balance of power in the senate what do you think their key demands will as part of passing labors legislation? will they demand stronger carbon targets? Or will their focus be elsewhere?

 

[Carn The Berries]

Ok im done with talking about dentists. Hopefully ive opened a few eyes

we desperately need more funding for hospitals and gps. not dentistry.

given the greens now have the balance of power in the senate what do you think their key demands will as part of passing labors legislation? will they demand stronger carbon targets? Or will their focus be elsewhere?

Tax breaks for dentists Gotta look after the interests of your base

 

[Kwality]

There is a particularly strong relationship between dental health and recovery from heart surgery. People with bad teeth and/or gum disease are much more likely to have recovery complications after heart surgery.

We know heart disease is one of the top health problems in Australia, and we know surgery is incredibly expensive.

I’m neither a hospital manager nor an actuary but I daresay the Greens are acting on expert advice that timely dental intervention nationwide will cause a reduction in bed days for, e.g. recovering heart surgery patients, that will be a net gain to the bottom line.

And that is just one of the major health issues with which dental health is intertwined.

And what about the proven link between visibly bad teeth and reduced unemployment prospects?

Our inability to teach kids to read & write/add & subtract is another of our failures in looking after our fellow Australians.

 

[Kwality]

Tax breaks for dentists Gotta look after the interests of your base

Suicide rates:

Research by the BDA shows that dentistry is associated with high levels of stress and burnout, with 17.6% of dentists surveyed admitting to have seriously considered committing suicide and between 1995 and 2011, 77 dentists died as a result of taking their own lives.
5 Oct 2020

 

[eddiesmith]

Ok im done with talking about dentists. Hopefully ive opened a few eyes

we desperately need more funding for hospitals and gps. not dentistry.

given the greens now have the balance of power in the senate what do you think their key demands will as part of passing labors legislation? will they demand stronger carbon targets? Or will their focus be elsewhere?

I’m hoping they’ll deliver on their promise of wiping student debt. Let’s see if the Greens can actually deliver on any of their wild promises or they are just a bunch of hot air and and will bow down like their Victorian party does.

 

[Demonic Ascent]

inner city melbourne and north brisbane. have managed to get it in south brisbane though. I rarely get bulk billed at the doctors.

There are plenty of bulk billing clinics in Melbourne and I am sure I could find some in north Brisbane as well - Medicare already covers GP visits which are free if you go to a GP who doesn't charge more than the Medicare rate so your previous post is an outright lie.

Even if you have to pay the gap fee Medicare is still funding it, you just choose to go to a GP who charges more than the Medicare rate. It will be exactly the same with dental.

 

[Demonic Ascent]

we desperately need more funding for hospitals and gps. not dentistry.

You seem to think it's an either/or proposition. If we cut back on just one unnecessary submarine that's an extra $55b - I'm sure that could go some way to funding it.

 

[Seeds]

There are plenty of bulk billing clinics in Melbourne and I am sure I could find some in north Brisbane as well - Medicare already covers GP visits which are free if you go to a GP who doesn't charge more than the Medicare rate so your previous post is an outright lie.

Even if you have to pay the gap fee Medicare is still funding it, you just choose to go to a GP who charges more than the Medicare rate. It will be exactly the same with dental.

Dude its hard to get into many of the bulk billing ones unless you are an existing patient. Cos they have to much demand. If you cant get access to them you cant use them. So its not universal like the greens policy For annual dentist visits.

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

Im not arguing that the usa cant do more to distribute wealth (it certainly can). just that norway aint a fair comparison.

happy to move on from this topic.

Oh but if that one ain't fair, I've offered you plenty of other comparisons.

I've asked you is Germany, which manages to do the right thing by its citizens even at a whopping 83 million people, "small", or is that actually quite a large country?

I've asked you is it OK to compare Norway with the majority of US states, which deliver a truckload of America's social services and which, surprise surprise, have a smaller population than Norway's?

I've asked is it OK to compare the US with Finland, which is admittedly a nation that does well by its citizens while being tiny, but doesn't sit on massive oil revenue?

I've asked you to compare clear economies of scale in other sectors of the US, and why they mysteriously go missing when we're talking delivery of social services.

I've asked you what is it about oil royalties that makes them "free money", and can you please compare them to other forms of national income and tell us how they differ.

So lots of comparisons if you'd care to address them.

Or you can just agree that when you said it's not fair to negatively compare the US to Norway because of their massive difference in population, at best you were just typing off the top of your head, and at worst you were unquestioningly repeating US right wing ideology.

 

[Gralin]

Dude its hard to get into many of the bulk billing ones unless you are an existing patient. Cos they have to much demand. If you cant get access to them you cant use them. So its not universal like the greens policy For annual dentist visits.

you think thats bad you should see what the waitlist for public dental looks like

and im not talking just a check up I mean things like you need a root canal, live in pain if you don't have the cash, at least with health you have an issue you can go to emergency at a hospital

 

[Maggie5]

I am so glad Di Natale is no longer in office, he put the Greens years behind, Adam has done a great job to date.

 

[Brunswick Trap King]

Dude its hard to get into many of the bulk billing ones unless you are an existing patient. Cos they have to much demand. If you cant get access to them you cant use them. So its not universal like the greens policy For annual dentist visits.

Really? I've never noticed any difficulty. Are you sure you're telling the truth?

 

[Gralin]

Really? I've never noticed any difficulty. Are you sure you're telling the truth?

hard to get into doctors around my place that bulk bill, like you wont get an appointment the day you want it will be a few days in the future, wasn't that bad before covid but its still not recovered

still you can get in if you make an appointment and wait, so for an annual checkup no problem

 

[Demonic Ascent]

Dude its hard to get into many of the bulk billing ones unless you are an existing patient. Cos they have to much demand. If you cant get access to them you cant use them. So its not universal like the greens policy For annual dentist visits.

There are appointments currently available for tomorrow at Lawnton Country Market Medical Centre in northern suburbs of Brisbane. That's just one bulk billing clinic I'm sure there are plenty more if I could be bothered wasting time searching

 

[Ned_Flanders]

There are appointments currently available for tomorrow at Lawnton Country Market Medical Centre in northern suburbs of Brisbane. That's just one bulk billing clinic I'm sure there are plenty more if I could be bothered wasting time searching

my experience has been bulk billing is only permitted for existing patients, or for people on a concession card or welfare only

 

[Baltimore Jack]

I’m hoping they’ll deliver on their promise of wiping student debt. Let’s see if the Greens can actually deliver on any of their wild promises or they are just a bunch of hot air and and will bow down like their Victorian party does.

"hot air"
"not delivering on promises"

You still living in Victoria?

 

[Ned_Flanders]

"hot air"
"not delivering on promises"

You still living in Victoria?

maybe he can get a lift with Frydo on their way out

 

[Demonic Ascent]

my experience has been bulk billing is only permitted for existing patients, or for people on a concession card or welfare only

Fair enough, I haven't had that experience.

The point stands though, the government won't pay whatever any dentist decides to charge - they will pay a benefit and if there is any gap fee you'll have to cover it. Same as with GP's.