Dental Association CEO Expresses Concern About Complicated $13B Federal Care Plan According to Dentists
According to the head of the Canadian Dental Association, over 60 percent of dentists would not participate in the federal government’s $13 billion Canada Dental Care Plan. Many dentists surveyed found the plan to be overly complex.
“Without the support of oral health providers, this program will not succeed, and the millions of patients signing up for the program will not be able to find a dentist,” he stated, as first reported by Blacklock’s Reporter.
Burry mentioned that the dental association was not in negotiations with the federal government about the plan but was providing advice on what the plan’s structure should entail.
He raised concerns about the program’s detailed terms and conditions, fee schedules not aligning with provincial rates, and the overall bureaucratic demands. “It is a complex government program. It involves more complex authorization processes we believe will disrupt patient care,” he added.
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Mr. Burry clarified that the plan “does not provide free dental care” and only covers a portion of the usual fees, causing confusion among dentists regarding the coverage boundaries.
He explained, “For example, dentists don’t know how coordination of benefits with provincial programs is going to work. We also don’t know exactly what level of services will be preauthorized to meet patient needs. We just don’t know.”
To qualify for the program, a household must earn less than $90,000 a year, not have dental insurance, be a Canadian resident for tax purposes, and have filed a tax return for the previous year.
The program covers various dental care services such as dentures, extractions, x-rays, cleanings, root canals, and other procedures.
Initially estimated to cost around $6 billion over five years, the Dental Care Plan’s costs were later adjusted to $13 billion, more than double the initial estimate.
Despite approximately nine million Canadians qualifying for the program, the reluctance of dentists to participate could make it challenging for patients to find a dentist.
