More than 70 per cent of dentists are now accepting patients through Canada’s new public dental insurance program — a significant increase over the 50 per cent participation rate reported a month ago.
The federal government attributes the higher uptake to changes it introduced on July 8 that allow dental clinics to submit claims without officially registering as providers of the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP).
The changes permit dentists, denturists and independent hygienists to perform work on patients covered by the CDCP and to be reimbursed by Ottawa on a case-by-case basis.
Health Minister Mark Holland said 6,000 oral health-care providers have chosen to take part in the CDCP since Ottawa changed the rules.
“We’ve been absolutely blown away by the participation,” Holland told CBC News on Tuesday.
A report by the Canadian Dental Association is calling on the federal government to clear up misconceptions about the federal dental care plan. Health Minister Mark Holland says dental offices that opted into the program aren’t experiencing these concerns and encouraged those that haven’t signed on to join the program.
As of today, 16,612 dentists, 1,746 denturists and 857 dental hygienists are taking part in the program. That’s more than 19,000 oral health-care providers out of what Health Canada estimates is a potential pool of 25,170.
Ottawa introduced the option to accept CDCP patients on a case-by-case basis after dentists expressed concerns about the complexity of the contracts they were required to sign in order to be registered providers.
Permitting oral health-care providers to be reimbursed without officially registering also allows dental clinics to avoid losing their patients to clinics that participate in the CDCP.
Holland has pitched the change as a way for health professionals to try the program out before signing on. He also has assured dentists that submitting claims on a case-by-case basis will be a permanent option going forward.
450,000 treated in first three months of program
The CDCP is a massive expansion of Canada’s universal health-care system. It’s expected to cost taxpayers $13 billion over the next five years and to eventually cover one in four low- and middle-income Canadians who don’t have access to private dental insurance plans.
Right now, applications for the CDCP are open to seniors, children under the age of 18 and people who receive the federal disability tax credit. Applications for the rest of the eligible population will open in January 2025.
Health Canada said 450,000 Canadians have received dental care through the program since it began providing care on May 1.
The Canadian Dental Association, which has raised concerns about the program, said Tuesday it wants the CDCP to succeed.
“The federal government has addressed some immediate and short-term concerns, and we are committed to continuing our work with them to further enhance the CDCP for the future,” a statement from the association said.
The dental association said each dentist must decide whether they want to participate, based on what is best for their practice and patients.
“Changes through our continued advocacy have increased the comfort level of many dentists to participate in the plan,” the statement said.