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. The plan will expand massively to cover an expected total of nine million Canadians starting in 2025.
Not all Canadians may be covered in January 2025
Asked by CBC about adding an additional six million people to the CDCP in just a few months’ time, Holland said the “exact date was still being figured out.”
“Early in 2025 is when we are looking to expand to additional cohorts,” he said.
Until now, the federal government has not identified specific groups to be covered 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.
