(Ottawa) The government has decided to skip steps and expand the dental program to all people whose annual household income is less than $90,000 a year and who are not covered by an insurance plan public or private by the end of 2023.
“No more Canadians will have to choose between their dental health and paying their bills at the end of the month,” Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said in the chamber.
This is one of the key measures of the agreement reached between the Liberals and the New Democrats to allow the minority government of Justin Trudeau to remain in power until 2025. The program is expected to reach 9 million people, according to government estimates.
“This is the biggest expansion of our health care system in a generation,” said New Democratic Party (NDP) Leader Jagmeet Singh, who took pride in pushing the government to create this program.
“It’s really going to change people’s lives and it’s something we’re really proud of,” he added.
Only children under the age of 12 have been eligible since the program’s inception in 2022. The government originally planned a phased implementation until 2025 for those under 18, seniors and people with disabilities.
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However, the program turned out to be more expensive than expected. The government is planning 13 billion over five years, nearly double what it budgeted last year. Thereafter, the government estimates that it will cost 4.4 billion annually.
The contours of the Canadian Dental Care Plan are yet to be determined. In an interview with La Presse a few weeks ago, Mr. Singh said that the current reimbursement offered for children under 12 – of $260, $390 and $650 depending on family income – is a “temporary and intermediate “.
The new program will work more like dental insurance, meaning that the dentist will have to send the bill to the government to be reimbursed. People with a household income between $90,000 and $70,000 will pay a deductible, the amount of which is yet to be determined. Those with incomes below $70,000 will pay nothing.
It is unclear at this time what types of dental care would be covered. Terms are expected to be announced later this year.