Article: NWO News Watch – Leith Dunick
THUNDER BAY – Dr. Derval Clarke says the introduction of a national dental care program is long overdue and should improve the dental health of millions of Canadians.
Clarke, who co-founded Sovereign Dental in Thunder Bay, said providing care to all children under 18 by year’s end, and to families with income under $90,000 by the end of 2025 is a game-changer for dental health across the country.
The Canadian Dental Care Plan, which eventually will provide full coverage for households making less than $70,000 and partial coverage, with co-pays, for those making up to $20,000 more, was pushed for by the NDP, a key plank in their agreement to support the governing federal Liberals through 2025.
The 2023 federal budget, unveiled earlier this week, costs the plan at $13 billion over the next five years, with $4.4 a year beyond that.
Another $250 million, over three years, and $75 million a year ongoing, will be spent to establish an Oral Health Access Fun.
Clarke said affordability barriers shouldn’t be the reason Canadians don’t see their dentist or hygienist on a regular basis, adding the newly introduced program was never meant to be an all-inclusive program.
“There are a lot of grumblings that the money isn’t enough, $600 or whatever it is per child. I think people missed the point. I would think the aim here is to prevent dental disease,” Clarke said. “Active dental disease is difficult and expensive to treat.”
It can result in the need for crowns or implants, preventable procedures often required when the underlying dental disease itself isn’t treated in time.
“This is what this program allows. It allows a child to visit the dentist twice a year and catch problems before the really manifest into something that becomes really expensive.”
Minister of Indigenous Services, Patty Hajdu, said the goal of the Canadian Dental Care Plan is to ensure no one falls through the cracks for financial reasons.
Canadians shouldn’t have to be wealthy to have a healthy smile, she added on Friday, unveiling the plan at Clarke’s Fort William Road office.
“This is something we started working on last year with coverage for children who didn’t have coverage via direct payment to families. But by the end of 2023, the program will expand to include seniors, to include those under 18, to include people with disabilities, and by 2025, anyone who is needing of dental care that meets the financial threshold will be able to acquire benefits,” Hajdu said.
“It’s an exciting time because it means oral health and dental care are going to be considered just as essential as all the other kinds of health care that’s covered under our universal health-care system.”
The program, the details of which have yet to be worked out, will be administered by the federal government, unlike traditional health care, which is under the auspices of the provinces. Hajdu said this was done to ensure consistency from coast to coast to coast.
Last year, in response to a push by the NDP, the Liberals launched the Canada Dental Benefit, which provided tax-free payments of up to $650 per child, based on family income.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh this week said he was proud to have helped shepherd through expanded dental care, and his party will support the budget, even though NDP members aren’t universally thrilled with everything it contains.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has said he won’t support the budget, but has not said whether he would keep or scrap the Canadian Dental Care Plan should his party take over governing in the next federal election.
Article: NWO News Watch – Leith Dunick