cant even afford life no more lol

Saw the ABS data today. Australia's per capita GDP growth is back at +1.0%, per capita recession officially over. Chart looks grouse ay, that 2024 trough finally turned around.

Honestly my first thought wasn't "yay economy's back". It was: can we get dental covered by Medicare now or what?

Right now I wait for a business trip to Zhuhai every six months and get my teeth done at Vickong. Why? Cos it's half price of Sydney and I can book same day. In Australia? My dentist told me next non-urgent slot is in three months. Unless I wanna fork out $400 for a checkup. Bloody joke.

I'm not whinging about Australian healthcare overall. GP and emergency, no dramas there. But this thing where dental and optical "don't count as healthcare", combined with current cost of living, really makes you wonder where those GDP numbers actually go. Like seriously, where?

If economy is actually improving, here's what I'd like to see:

Dental at least partially covered by public healthcare
Specialist wait times down to something reasonable
Or at minimum, let me not have to burn annual leave to fly overseas for a filling. Come on.
Data says we're recovering. Life says: fix my toothache first, then we'll talk.

What about you lot? Anyone else going overseas for dental work? I've been looking at dental tourism options for Aussies lately, doing a bit of dental cost comparison between here and abroad. Or have I just been conditioned by Sydney prices into thinking this is normal? Surely not just me ay?