up to one million british columbians could be eligible for new federal dental plan
3 minute read
b.c. seniors advocate isobel mackenzie.
chad hipolito
/
png
up to one million british columbians could be eligible for dental benefits in the coming years as the federal government’s new dental-care insurance program rolls out, dr. david lim, president of the b.c. dental association, said on wednesday.
the 2023 federal budget includes a plan for the provision of $13 billion over five years, starting in late 2023, and a further $4.4 billion to health canada for the canadian dental care plan, which will provide dental care for low-income canadians without private dental insurance, as part of an overall strategy to improve health care.
lim said the bcda applauds the move, but cautions that dental offices may be overwhelmed by the volume due to staffing shortages that are already affecting service delivery.
“we don’t have the staff to meet this demand,” said lim.
although there is no shortage of dentists, lim said the shortage of qualified dental hygienists, certified dental assistants and administrative staff is “critical.”
“we are already seeing offices reducing office hours because there is not enough staff,” said lim.
lim said the industry has felt the same pinch that other health-care sectors and employers have experienced since covid-19.
advertisement
“we would like the federal government to look at a national oral health strategy so that there are enough staff to meet the increase in demand. currently we are competing against too many other industries.”
lim said the bcda projects 300,000 to 450,000 british columbian children will be eligible to access the new plan by 2024, and up to one million including adults once it has fully rolled out.
“we estimate about 65 per cent of british columbians have some sort of dental coverage, the remaining ones will fall into that 35 per cent,” said lim.
lim said some patients without regular dental care end up going to the hospital for emergency treatment, which adds a burden to health care in the province.
“the federal government is recognizing that there is a link between oral health and overall health, and this budget is a big step towards providing the care british columbians deserve,” said lim.
although full details haven’t been released yet, the federal government said the plan will be administered by health canada with the support of a third-party insurance administrator.
lim said the bcda hopes that it will use the administrative processes that are already in place in offices.
“we have systems in place that work great, and we are hopeful they can use existing systems,” said lim.
advertisement
the current temporary dental benefit for children under age 12 for uninsured families that earn less than $90,000 a year, that provided direct payments to parents and guardians through the cra website, will be phased-out by 2024 as the new plan is phased-in.
b.c. seniors advocate isobel mackenzie called the new program “significant” and said she is “optimistic” that the program will provide adequate dental care for low-income seniors in the province.
“it’s good news. we don’t have the details yet on exactly what is going to be covered, but the language that i read gave me optimism.
“low-income seniors are the least likely to have a dental insurance plan,” said mackenzie. “when we surveyed our low-income seniors, dental care was one of their biggest concerns.”
the new dental care plan will provide dental coverage for uninsured canadians with annual family income of less than $90,000, with no co-pays for those with family incomes under $70,000, beginning in late 2023 in a phased approach starting with patients under age 18, seniors and people with disabilities.
details on the rollout are expected later this year.
support our journalism: our in-depth journalism is possible thanks to the support of our subscribers. for just $3.50 per week, you can get unlimited, ad-lite access to the vancouver sun, the province, national post and 13 other canadian news sites. support us by subscribing today: the vancouver sun | the province.
share story
