Now that amalgam fillings will be banned at the end of this year, the battle to find a free alternative is proving difficult. An agreement was reached shortly before Christmas, but not for all patients in the country.
Although no solution has yet been found with the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK), the Insurance Institute for Public Employees, Railways and Mining (BVAEB) and the Dental Association have now reached an agreement on amalgam replacement fillings.
From January 1, 2025, the filling materials glass ionomer cements and alkasites will be covered by health insurance instead of amalgam, which will then be prohibited.
Agreed with a downer
The negotiations were “long and intensive,” a statement from the Dental Association said on Friday. The rate level is now based on the previous amalgam replacement rate for pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and children up to 15 years of age. Rear composite will remain a private service, it said.
In the coming year, discussions will also take place between BVAEB and the Dental Association (ÖZÄK) on the revision and modernization of the existing fee schedule – with a special focus on root canal treatment, oral hygiene, advice and denture repair.
Room: Possible ‘blueprint’ for other health insurance funds
In its broadcast, the Dental Association appeals to the ÖGK and the social insurance for the self-employed (SVS): the agreement could also be “a blueprint for other health insurers”. According to the Chamber, for normal fillings in the posterior tooth area, only stone cement is included in the contract for insured persons, while glass ionomer cement is only a health insurance policy for pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and children up to 15 years old. .
All other materials are private services. In any case, the ÖZÄK is “available for discussions at any time”.
Dentists fear for their income
The ÖGK has not yet reached an agreement with the ÖZÄK. The health insurer would have been prepared to pay 20 percent more than before for amalgam-free fillings and at the same time advertise the relatively new white material alkasite, which has been tested in outpatient clinics of health insurers. The Dental Association, on the other hand, was only willing to accept the glass ionomer cement, which is technically inferior in material, as free to patients; from the point of view of professional representation, everything else should be a private service.
ÖGK chairman Andreas Huss seemed irritated in early December and announced that he would offer dentists individual contracts, outside the chamber.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
