Around 600,000 Belgians have taken out supplementary insurance for fear of future high dentistry bills. Het Nieuwsblad, Het Belang van Limburg and De Standaard are on Tuesday stating that the number insured for such care is rapidly increasing. These findings come after they questioned the three principal mutual insurance companies in Belgium.
You do not need to look far for an explanation for this. This is the view of the Flemish professional body for dentists. A spokesman from the organisation stated, “The government has not invested enough for years in reimbursing dental care. The costs for certain dental treatments have soared.”
The Public Health Minister Minister, Maggie De Block (Open Vld), acknowledges the issues, but stresses that the means within the health budget are limited. However, €3 million euros are set aside for next year, in particular for cancer patients.
These dentists say that the level of investment in dental care is insufficient. The professional body fears that some people are paying insurance premiums unnecessarily. The dentists suggest, “An individual with a healthy set of teeth, who takes care of them, does not actually need a policy to cover this.”
The Brussels Times
