Could free dental care be on the way for young people in Denmark?
Young people between the ages of 18 and 25 could be given free dental care if one of parliament’s parties gets its way.
The Socialist People’s Party (SF), one of the three parties on the left whose support is needed to prop up the Social Democratic government, is to push for the provision in negotiations over the 2020 budget.
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“I think that welfare should, in principal, be free for everyone. That’s why we are proposing that dental care for young people should be free,” SF leader Pia Olsen Dyhr said prior to budget talks with finance minister Nicolai Wammen.
“We have to find a model depending on what age limit we can find,” Dyhr added.
The left-wing party’s stance of advocating free dental care for young people is long-standing.
SF originally suggested the measure two years ago and received support from the Social Democrats, then in opposition, but the not the backing of the then-government.
Wammen said he was prepared to listen to SF’s demands on the area.
“What we have said on the part of the government is that we are prepared to give better dental help to underprivileged groups,” the minister said.
"That’s our approach, and now we must listen to the other parties. It can only be a good thing to come armed with some good ideas,” he added.
Dyhr insisted that young people should be entitled to free dental care.
“The more young people can stay in the dental care system they were part of before they reached the age of 18, the better their chances of having better teeth for the rest of their lives,” the SF leader said.
“It’s often in the ages between 18 and 25, while they’re still in [higher] education, that they find it difficult to afford dental care,” she said.
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The Socialist People’s Party (SF), one of the three parties on the left whose support is needed to prop up the Social Democratic government, is to push for the provision in negotiations over the 2020 budget.
READ ALSO: What Denmark's proposed budget means for foreign residents
“I think that welfare should, in principal, be free for everyone. That’s why we are proposing that dental care for young people should be free,” SF leader Pia Olsen Dyhr said prior to budget talks with finance minister Nicolai Wammen.
“We have to find a model depending on what age limit we can find,” Dyhr added.
The left-wing party’s stance of advocating free dental care for young people is long-standing.
SF originally suggested the measure two years ago and received support from the Social Democrats, then in opposition, but the not the backing of the then-government.
Wammen said he was prepared to listen to SF’s demands on the area.
“What we have said on the part of the government is that we are prepared to give better dental help to underprivileged groups,” the minister said.
"That’s our approach, and now we must listen to the other parties. It can only be a good thing to come armed with some good ideas,” he added.
Dyhr insisted that young people should be entitled to free dental care.
“The more young people can stay in the dental care system they were part of before they reached the age of 18, the better their chances of having better teeth for the rest of their lives,” the SF leader said.
“It’s often in the ages between 18 and 25, while they’re still in [higher] education, that they find it difficult to afford dental care,” she said.
READ ALSO: Danish political support grows for free psychological treatment without doctor's referral
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