He believes that a reform based on age, rather than need, is misguided. Moreover, health-promoting and preventive measures are not included, which are also needed by those with the worst oral health.
Criticism of pricing model
Another part of the criticism concerns the pricing model proposed, which is based on the so-called reference price for dental care, i.e., the established normal price for a treatment. The patient is to pay 10 percent of the reference price, and the state the remaining part.
All dental care has a price exceeding the reference price. This will lead to the care provider being unable to reinvest and keep up with technological developments, ultimately resulting in poorer dental care, says Lars Olsson.
The criticism is not shared by Eva Ljung, CEO of Folktandvården in Stockholm.
I am genuinely very happy for the sake of this patient group and look forward to being able to receive them who previously could not afford treatment. There have been so many investigations that have tried but failed to make this extremely complicated system good for patients, she says.
"Not enough for everyone"
Do you see no problems with how the proposals have been designed?
Somewhere, one has to make a choice, it's not enough for everyone. The investigation has made this boundary, based on age rather than risk group. It has to be simple, transparent, and scalable. Perhaps more can be included in the next step. When it comes to price regulation, it's important that the reference price is updated and reflects the actual costs.
