NORTHERN ONTARIO—Details of the long-awaited national dental care were announced in Ottawa. Over the course of this coming year children under 18 and some senior citizens (aged 87 and over) will be able to get their teeth fixed before the program is expanded to all eligible low-and middle-income Canadians in 2025.
The federal government unveiled its new dental care plan earlier this month, a $13 million insurance program that will start covering routine dentistry costs next year for people who meet a certain income threshold.
However, while it may be good news, some dentist’s country-wide say they have been left in the dark about the federal dental insurance plan.
Locally, Dr. Bryn Casson in Little Current said, “we don’t have any of the details yet. Dentists have not received any of the information, so I know as much as you do. At this point we have not received information on administration or fee guides. We have heard they are in the works but we haven’t seen anything thus far.”
“All I can say is I hope it works out well for all of our eligible patients,” said Dr. Casson.
Dr. Mary Cross in Gore Bay said, “We’re learning more as this goes along and should know more in the new year. Yes, more access to care for patients will be beneficial,” said Dr. Cross.
Federal Health Minister Mark Holland told CBC News said the plan is ‘transformative’ as it will provide coverage to the nearly nine million Canadians who do not already have access to dental insurance.
“We know we can have the best health system in the world and today is a monumental step in that direction,” Mr. Holland told CBC News. “It’s going to make life better for eligible Canadian residents who won’t have to choose between paying their bills and getting the help they absolutely need.”
The plan will cover kids under 18 and some seniors first, before the government expands the program to all eligible low-and middle-income Canadians in 2025. Applications for seniors aged 87 and over will open later this month. Other age groups will be able to apply in the new year.
Coverage will be phased in over time, but some eligible participants will start to receive benefits as early as May 2024. This insurance-based program, that will cover routine dentistry costs for people who meet a certain income threshold, replaces the interim program that has been sending cheques directly to families with kids under 12 for the last year.
To be eligible for the program a person must have a household income below $90,000 and no access to an existing private insurance plan. The person must also have filed a tax return so the government can verify income.
The plan is most generous for families that have household incomes below $70,000. They face no co-pays to a participating dentist, hygienist or denturist, and Ottawa will pick up the tab for covered services like cleaning, polishing, examinations, x-rays, fillings, root canal treatments and complete and partial removable dentures, reports CBC.
Families with incomes between $70,000 and $79,999 will face a 40 per cent co-pay, and for those in the $80,000 to $89,999 income bracket, the co-pay jumps to 60 percent. The federal plan will cover the rest of the costs incurred.
Services to be covered under the Canadian dental care plan include: preventive services, including scaling (cleaning), polishing, sealants and fluoride, diagnostic services, including examinations and x-rays, restorative services, including fillings, endodontic services, including root canal treatments, prosthodontic services, including complete and partial removable dentures, periodontal services including deep scaling and oral surgery service, including extractions.
“With the cost of living going through the roof, Northern Ontario families need help paying their bills now more than ever,” said NDP Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing MP Carol Hughes. “This dental plan will help so many families and put money back in people’s pockets.”
