Every year, the Danish regional authorities receive 30,000 requests for public subsidies for dental treatment abroad. On top of that, there are an unknown number of Danes who go abroad for treatment without realising they can claim any money. Germany is the favoured destination, reports Politiken.
Karsten Voss runs a dental clinic just over the border near Padborg. Around 70 percent of his patients are Danes, and of those most travel some distance for treatment.
“We think that we provide a good service and are pretty nice people, but first and foremost it is our prices that attract people,” joked Voss.
Big savings to be made
Danish patients can make savings of around 33 percent and that is something that really makes a difference when the bill is 10, 15 or 20,000 kroner.
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The bottom line is that wages in Germany are lower than those in Denmark and the clinics are able to work more effectively. If a patient comes from Denmark, the clinic tries to complete the treatment in one day.
The economic think-tank CEPOS has been collecting statistics and its message to Danes is that they should be more critical about Danish prices and investigate the market elsewhere as well.
“Many people don’t know that they can take the Danish treatment subsidy with them to another EU country. We can very often get the same quality cheaper abroad,” said Mia Amalie Holstein, the head of welfare issues for CEPOS.
“When 94 percent of the ‘health tourism’ that emanates from Denmark is about teeth, that clearly indicates it is incredibly expensive to have your teeth fixed in Denmark.”
