More than 1 million Canadians have now received dental care under new national insurance plan
Each patient has received an average of $730 on oral health-care services
More than a million Canadians have now received dental care under the new national public insurance plan, with each patient receiving an average of $730 toward oral health-care services.
"We can't get there overnight, but person by person, we got to a million," Health Minister Mark Holland said at a community centre in Scarborough, Ont., on Thursday.
The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) helps cover the cost of dental visits for people who don't have access to private insurance and have a household income below $90,000.
The plan has paid $732 million in dental expenses so far, Health Canada said. The program is expected to cost $13 billion over the next five years.
The CDCP is currently available to seniors, children under 18 years of age and people with a valid disability tax credit. So far, 2.7 million Canadian residents have been approved for the plan.
Plan may not expand to remaining Canadians by January, minister says
Two-thirds of Canadians who will be covered by the program currently aren't eligible. The CDCP is set to expand massively in 2025 to cover the remaining eligible Canadians beyond those specific groups — some six million additional people.
When asked whether plans were on track to begin covering them in just a few months' time, Holland said the "exact date is still being figured out."
"We didn't say January. We said 2025," Holland said.
But in a press conference with Holland in June, Canada's Minister of Citizens' Services Terry Beech said people aged 18 to 64 would be able to apply as of January 2025.
Holland said Thursday that "early in 2025 is when we are looking to expand to additional cohorts."
Until now, the federal government has not identified specific groups to receive CDCP in the new year. It currently says "all remaining eligible Canadian residents" would be covered "starting 2025."
"We're in a process of constant evaluation to make sure that as we bring new people online ... we're listening, we're incorporating that feedback from oral health providers," Holland said.
The CDCP currently covers oral health-care services including cleanings, filings and dentures. As of Nov. 1, it will expand to cover more complex and expensive procedures that require pre-approval, like crowns and the initial placement of partial dentures.
"We've got to make sure that we we nail this," Holland said in reference to the expansion of services starting tomorrow.
"We're going to be evaluating that, and that's going to put us in a position to make a determination and exactly when we roll out those next cohorts," he said.
"But we are absolutely committed in 2025, as fast as possible, to expanding this to all Canadians."
After low uptake initially from dentists, Health Canada said 89 per cent of oral health-care providers — or 22,340 in total across the country — are now accepting patients through the program.
Insurance claims submitted on paper will also be allowed starting tomorrow. Until now, only providers who had the ability to submit the claims online could participate.
Participation in the program for dentists, denturists and dental hygienists is voluntary.
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