Labour’s aspiration to extend free basic dental care to younger adults is great news for those born after the various cut-offs. For the rest of us, not so much. And, yet again, certain cohorts will be paying the price but missing out on the benefits.
If implemented as promised, the policy will be rolled out in stages, starting with those under 24 years of age from 1 July 2025. The following year, it would be extended to those under 30 years of age. The current proposal does not detail future plans to extend the free dental care to older age groups.
This means that individuals who are older than these age limits at the respective rollout dates will not be eligible for the free basic dental care under this policy. For phase one, those born after mid-2001 would be eligible. For phase two, the benefits would be extended to those born after mid-1996 would be eligible.
So, millennials - those of us born between 1981 to 1996 - are on our own. Again.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Blue Review to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.