Czech dentists propose exclusion of amalgam fillings from obligatory health insurance scheme

2010-02-16

The Czech Association of Dentists is planning to approach the Czech authorities with a proposal to exclude amalgam fillings for adults from public health insurance coverage, according to the CTK news agency. They intend to present the proposal to politicians after the general election, which will take place in May this year. It is proposed that health insurance companies would continue to reimburse the cost of fillings for children of up to 18 years of age and pensioners who are 65 or more, but adults would have to pay for their own treatment. At present, dentists who have signed agreements with obligatory health insurance providers are not allowed to charge patients for treatment which is covered in full by the obligatory health insurance scheme. The Chamber argues, however, that the money received from health insurance companies – CZK 220 (€8.40) for one amalgam filling – does not cover the full cost of the treatment, which is closer to CZK 400 (€15.29). The Chamber believes that the cost of amalgam fillings would not constitute a burden for patients, but that their exclusion from the public health insurance scheme could help health insurance funds to save CZK 600m (€22.9m), which could be used for other kinds of dental treatment and prevention activities.
Obligatory health insurance funds spend CZK 1.2bn (€45.9m) per year on dental treatment of various kinds in the Czech Republic.