Deputy Health Minister Ya’acov Litzman announced a groundbreaking plan to include dental healthcare for children, and in the future for the elderly, within the National Health Insurance Law. The announcement comes amid the backdrop of long-time efforts by ACRI and partners to craft a draft bill that will ensure free-of-charge public dental care for children and the elderly.
Dental services were the only health service not included in the 1994 National Health Insurance Law, leaving this aspect of public health inadequately addressed. Dental services have since been provided by the health funds only to those who pay for supplementary insurance plans, leaving those who cannot afford these plans uncared for. Data comparing dental health in Israel with other Western countries has shown Israelis and their children to be lagging far behind.
To address this shortcoming, ACRI spearheaded in November 2008 the establishment of the Coalition for Public Dental Health – the first of its kind in Israel. We were successful in recruiting 10 organizations to join the coalition, including the Dentists’ Forum for Public Health, the National Parents’ Committee and the National Children’s Council. Coalition meetings have also been attended by the head of dental services in the Health Ministry and leading academics.
As a result of successful advocacy efforts, Deputy Minister Litzman, who is serving as the de-facto Director of the Health Ministry, called for a meeting of the coalition members and other parties advocating for public-funded dental care. In a July 22 meeting, which was attended by ACRI’s Health Project Coordinator and Director of Policy Advocacy, Litzman announced his intentions to formulate and lead a governmental initiative to provide public dental care for all children under the age of 18. Litzman added that once this initiative is completed, he intends to carry out a plan to provide public dental care for the elderly, thus expanding the National Health Insurance Law to care for these two vulnerable age groups. Litzman also proclaimed he would find the necessary funding for his unprecedented plan from his ministry’s budget, adding he was confident that these goals would be met.
Litzman’s plans are an unparalleled step, as the State is for the first time acknowledging dental health as an inseparable part of public health care. The announcement comes two months after the Health Ministry notified the High Court of Justice of its decision to triple the budget for preventative dental care for school children. The announcement was made in response to a High Court petition submitted in March 2008 by ACRI and Physicians for Human Rights, demanding that all Israeli schoolchildren be provided with free-of-charge comprehensive dental care, as clearly stipulated in the National Health Insurance Law. The Ministry was willing to commit to provide for routine dental checkups for children, but not to provide comprehensive dental care. ACRI welcomed the Health Ministry’s decision, but cautioned that unless additional steps were taken, the decision would not be sufficient in and of itself to ensure dental care for all students.
