gander dad 'a little emotional' after nl expands cleft palate coverage for kids
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charlie gill was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate and is in the early stages of orthodontic treatment.
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gander dad matthew gill says his family was “super proud and overjoyed, and a little emotional” when they learned the newfoundland and labrador government is expanding coverage for children with cleft lip and/or palate.
the changes follow concerns raised by families, including matthew gill, whose seven-year-old son charlie gill was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate.
in a february 2026 story in the telegram, gill spoke out on behalf of his son and the 10 to 12 other children born each year in the province with cleft lip or palate after provincial health care had scaled back coverage for necessary orthodontic care that charlie needs as part of his treatment for his cleft lip.
his story prompted premier tony wakeham to reach out to him with a promise to help.
“we are very happy that after all of the advocating, that something good is going to happen for our family, and all of the other families in similar situations,” he said.
matthew gill and son charlie, who needs ongoing care to correct the shape of his palate and support his speech.
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increased coverage
some families will be able to receive retroactive reimbursements for orthodontic costs paid out of pocket for treatments related to cleft lip.
the government announced it will cover the initial assessment fee of approximately $120, retroactive to oct. 1, 2025.
the cap per treatment will also increase from $5,519 to $6,656, retroactive to april 1, 2026.
patients will be eligible for coverage for up to five instances or stages of treatment, with a lifetime cap of $33,280.
the dental monitoring committee, which reviews dental and orthodontic-related applications, will be able to exceed the $6,656 per treatment cap in exceptional circumstances, provided funding remains within the lifetime limit.
the province said patients who paid out of pocket above the former $5,519 cap, but below the new $6,656 cap, between jan. 1, 2025, and april 1, 2026, will be reimbursed.
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the provincial dental consultant will review cases dating back to jan. 1, 2025, and contact families to arrange repayment.
“when our new government learned about the challenges families of children with cleft lip and cleft palate are facing, we initiated the review and made improvements to the program, so that newfoundland and labrador families can focus more on caring for their children and less on worrying about finances,” said health minister lela evans.
lela evans, minister of health and community services.
cameron kilfoy/the telegram
‘nice to see the support’
when charlie was born, his family was told all his care would be covered by the provincial medical care plan (mcp), so they were shocked when they were hit with an orthodontic bill and learned mcp would only cover a fraction of it.
for gill, whose son has already undergone two reconstructive surgeries at the janeway, including procedures on both his lip and palate, the orthodontic care isn’t just cosmetic; it will impact his ability to speak clearly.
“with regards to charlie’s treatment and coverage, he is still in the early stages of his orthodontic treatments, but this information leads us to believe that our government is behind us, more so than we felt in the beginning,” he said.
he said the new coverage is what his family had been advocating for.
“we feel these are the changes we were working towards getting. it will definitely help ease the financial burden that families face in these circumstances, and it’s definitely nice to see the support,” he said.
“we just want to see the best care for our kids and families shouldn’t have the extra financial stress.”
from left: loriann, natalie, charlie, james, anna and matthew gill, pictured together on a summer’s day out.
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calls for specialist care closer to home
gill said the family remains concerned about the cost of travelling for specialized orthodontic care.
“as thankful as we are for these changes that are being made, and we are extremely thankful,” he said.
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“it would be very nice to see an orthodontist who works directly for our government, who isn’t a private practice, that is specialized in cleft lip/palate treatments that is more centralized or mobile.”
charlie gill still faces many orthodontic appointments to correct his palate.
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he said the family currently travels over three hours to st. john’s to see an orthodontist who specializes in cleft lip and palate treatment.
“this, of course, can get very costly,” gill added.
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