1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,680 Speaker 1: A new report out this morning shows the eye watering social, economic, 2 00:00:03,720 --> 00:00:07,320 Speaker 1: and fiscal costs of the current approach to dental healthcare 3 00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:10,240 Speaker 1: in this country. It shows our current dental policy settings 4 00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 1: cost two point five billion in lost productivity. It's responsible 5 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:17,040 Speaker 1: for further costs when sick days, impatient care, and cardiovascular 6 00:00:17,079 --> 00:00:20,680 Speaker 1: disease are all taken into account. Apparently this prompting calls 7 00:00:20,760 --> 00:00:24,000 Speaker 1: for universal dental care. Max Harris is the Action Station 8 00:00:24,239 --> 00:00:27,760 Speaker 1: campaigner with us this morning. Max, Good morning, Good morning, Ryan, 9 00:00:27,960 --> 00:00:29,680 Speaker 1: nice to be on. Nice to have you on the show. 10 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:32,120 Speaker 1: First of all, because I said to my producer Leo, 11 00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:35,240 Speaker 1: I said, hang on, who's done this report? So your 12 00:00:35,320 --> 00:00:37,640 Speaker 1: Action Station? What is Action Station? 13 00:00:39,040 --> 00:00:43,519 Speaker 2: Action Stations an organization that works on campaigns and policy. 14 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:46,599 Speaker 2: But the report is actually been done by Frank Advice 15 00:00:46,760 --> 00:00:50,159 Speaker 2: in Wellington using a Treasury mythodology. 16 00:00:50,479 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 1: Right, So you, I mean you guys have been accused 17 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:57,280 Speaker 1: of being a left wing kind of group, are you? 18 00:00:57,280 --> 00:01:01,160 Speaker 2: No? I don't think so. Staction Session call itself kind 19 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:05,920 Speaker 2: of broadly progressive and talks about using values. But we 20 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:10,480 Speaker 2: know we run a range of campaigns on community issues, 21 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:13,720 Speaker 2: kind of responding to concerns in the community and one 22 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:16,360 Speaker 2: that's come up in the last few years has been dental. 23 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:18,720 Speaker 2: And actually quite a lot of people on the right 24 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:22,039 Speaker 2: and left have talked about what a problem it is 25 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:24,319 Speaker 2: that we have to pay so much for dental in 26 00:01:24,319 --> 00:01:26,080 Speaker 2: this country. And that's what's prompted this report. 27 00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 1: And Frank group, the group that's done the report, are 28 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:30,880 Speaker 1: they have they got economists in there? I mean, is 29 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:32,440 Speaker 1: economists looked over this report. 30 00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:36,360 Speaker 2: This was this was authored by someone of the backgrounds 31 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:43,679 Speaker 2: in economics. Frankovises connections to impact lads so that they 32 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:46,960 Speaker 2: do a lot of work on things like social investments. So, yes, 33 00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:50,600 Speaker 2: very much. This was authored by an economist using an 34 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:51,600 Speaker 2: approach by treasury. 35 00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:54,480 Speaker 1: Okay, all right, so you've got an economist on the job. 36 00:01:55,920 --> 00:01:57,560 Speaker 1: Let's talk about what does it that actually say. 37 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:01,480 Speaker 2: So what the report does is, you know, a lot 38 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:03,880 Speaker 2: of the time when we talk about what it would 39 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:07,560 Speaker 2: take to address dental in this country, we focus on 40 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:10,800 Speaker 2: the costs, and that's fair enough. But the report looks 41 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:13,800 Speaker 2: at the cost of not doing anything about dentals and 42 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:15,960 Speaker 2: it comes up with some pretty interesting numbers. I think. So, 43 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:21,120 Speaker 2: for example, is that the cost of not providing deal 44 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 2: care in the publics in this country is three point 45 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:27,000 Speaker 2: one billion in terms of quality of life and two 46 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:29,320 Speaker 2: point five billion in terms of lots of products. Yes, 47 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:35,240 Speaker 2: things like people not going for job interviews, not because 48 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:37,960 Speaker 2: of the shame of stigmas. 49 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:41,120 Speaker 1: Hey, Max, I'm really sorry. We're gonna have to We're 50 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:43,519 Speaker 1: gonna have to cut the short I think because your 51 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:46,360 Speaker 1: phone line is terrible. Sounds like you're coming to us 52 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:51,320 Speaker 1: from a toilet. That's very annoying. That's Max Harris Action 53 00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:54,440 Speaker 1: station campaigner. So the report, as you heard where it's 54 00:02:54,440 --> 00:02:57,600 Speaker 1: come from. But the report looks at a couple of things. 55 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:00,920 Speaker 1: It looks at not just the physical cost, the straight 56 00:03:00,919 --> 00:03:03,280 Speaker 1: fiscal cost of how much a universal system would cost you, 57 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:06,680 Speaker 1: but also things like sick days and the economic impact 58 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:09,760 Speaker 1: and loss productivity and all that kind of stuff. For 59 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:12,840 Speaker 1: more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live to 60 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:16,120 Speaker 1: News Talks it'd be from five am weekdays, or follow 61 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:17,760 Speaker 1: the podcast on iHeartRadio.