Canada’s health minister says millions of Canadians who aren’t currently eligible for the national dental insurance plan will be able to apply “as soon as possible in the new year” тАФ but he won’t say exactly when or who might qualify next.
“I know people are anxious and I’m getting asked everywhere this question,” Health Minister Mark Holland said during a press conference at a dental assistant school in Ottawa on Wednesday.
“As soon as possible in the new year, we want this to expand to every Canadian everywhere in the country.”
The federal government previously said all remaining Canadians aged 18┬аto 64 would be able to apply starting in January 2025.
In October, Holland walked back that statement.
“We didn’t say January. We said 2025,” Holland said.
The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) is a taxpayer-funded program┬аthat helps┬аpay for dental procedures, including cleanings, fillings┬аand dentures.┬аIt┬аcovers low- to middle-income Canadians who don’t have access to private dental insurance тАФ an estimated 9 million people.
So far, only a third of them тАФ┬а3 million┬атАФ┬аare┬аeligible under the program: seniors, children┬аand residents with valid disability tax credits.
It’s still not clear if the remaining 6 million Canadians тАФ┬аpeople aged 18 to 64 тАФ will┬аbecome eligible at the same time in 2025, or if Ottawa will┬аchoose to add them gradually in separate cohorts.
Holland’s office was asked Wednesday to clarify the rollout plan but would not provide more details. Holland┬аhinted in October┬аthe expansion in 2025 might be broken down into different groups.
Health Minister Mark Holland says the federal government plans to expand its national dental insurance program to the majority of uninsured Canadians тАШas early as possible in the new year.тАЩ
Holland said Wednesday┬аit’s important to make sure each step of the program is┬аrunning smoothly before expanding it.┬аHe pointed to┬аpre-authorizations, which were only added to the program in┬аNovember.┬аThat process is┬аused for more complicated and expensive dental procedures, like crowns or the initial placement of partial dentures.
“We want to make sure we get pre-authorization dead right before we expand to the other cohorts,” Holland said.
“We are 100 per cent committed to doing this at the earliest opportunity.”
Ottawa released new data on the dental care plan’s uptake Wednesday, which is expected to cost taxpayers $13 billion over the next five years. The federal government has said the program┬аis one of Canada’s largest social programs to date.
Since it began in May, more than 1.2 million Canadian residents have received dental care through the┬аprogram.┬аOn average, each person has had $791 in dental costs covered.┬аMore than 90 per cent of oral health care providers are now participating, Health Canada said.
