Medical and dental costs could be a game-changer

September 2, 2026

Crispin Hull is right to identify medical costs and the prospect of bringing dental care into Medicare as an important electoral opportunity for Labor.

The cost-of-living crisis isn’t confined to people receiving concessions. Increasingly, people on modest and even average salaries are putting off seeing a doctor because of the out-of-pocket cost. Bulk billing has increasingly become something people on concession cards can rely on, while working Australians can face significant fees simply for seeing a GP.

Dental care is an even greater problem because for many Australians, the choices are limited to an already stretched public dental system or paying for private health insurance extras. However, many households simply can’t afford the additional premiums, let alone the gap payments for dental treatment.

If Labor genuinely wants to demonstrate that it understands the pressures facing ordinary Australians, tackling healthcare affordability would be a powerful place to start. Universal access to affordable healthcare, including dental care, isn’t just good policy; it could also restore some of the faith that many voters have lost in politics.

I think that the path back for Labor is a bold commitment to making healthcare genuinely affordable for everyone.