Ottawa launches $13-billion dental care program with children and seniors initially to be covered

The federal government on Monday unveiled its new plan for dental care — a $13 billion insurance program that will cover routine dental costs for people below a certain income threshold starting next year.
Ottawa will initially cover children under 18 and some seniors, before expanding to all eligible low- and moderate-income Canadians in 2025.
Applications for seniors over 87 will open later this month, and other age groups can apply in the new year.
The phased application process is designed to facilitate implementation of the program, and the government expects hundreds of thousands of people to benefit from this new part of the country's social safety net.
Coverage will be phased in over time, but some eligible participants may receive benefits as early as May 2024. Expenses incurred prior to the relevant start date will not be covered.
The insurance-based program replaces a temporary program that has sent direct checks to families with children under 12 for the past two years.
Filling the gap in the system
In a briefing with reporters, senior program officials emphasized that the federal initiative is designed to "fill gaps" in the system and not replace existing provincial and territorial programs that provide some oral health services. cover
However, the federal government has not received any assurances from the prime ministers that they will maintain their plans after the implementation of the national plan.
The decision to eliminate these programs will increase the price of the dental care program - currently, it is expected to cost the federal treasury about 4.4 billion dollars a year.
To qualify for the program, an individual must have a household income of less than $90,000 and not have access to an existing private insurance plan. He must also have submitted his tax return so that the government can verify the income.
The plan is most forgiving for families with household incomes under $70,000 because there are no co-pays for participating dentists, oral hygienists, or dental hygienists—the government pays for covered services like cleanings, scaling , will pay for examinations, x-rays, fillings and root canal treatment.
Families with incomes between $70,000 and $79,999 will face a 40 percent co-pay, and for those in the $80,000 to $89,999 income range, the co-pay will increase to 60 percent. The federal program will cover the remaining costs.
Special call center for questions
The program will be administered by insurance giant Sun Life, and dentists will submit claims directly to that company for reimbursement. If there is a co-payment, the insured will pay the cost in cash to the service provider.
While the program is run by a third party, the government said people can still work with Service Canada representatives to address any issues that may arise, including eligibility issues or coverage disputes. There will be a dedicated call center to handle dental services.
The government hopes that oral health professionals will enroll in the program and accept the Canadian Dental Insurance Plan as proof of payment.
Officials said the government will launch an educational campaign in the new year to inform dentists and the organizations that represent them about how to register to provide covered services.
There will be a "fee schedule" for services - but the fees reimbursed by Ottawa will vary from province to province.
The government said the fees are "relatively generous compared to other public programs across the country," which should provide an incentive for providers to participate.

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