Canadian Dental Care Plan expansion is still not universal
The government’s rollout has come late and does not cover everybody who lacks dental health insurance
The federal government announced the Canadian Dental Care Plan in 2023. (Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio)
We need teeth — if you haven’t figured that out yet. Those layers of enamel, over dentin, over pulp, and blood vessels are easily overlooked yet incredibly important.
Losing one tooth is a pretty big deal. Losing multiple is a bigger deal. Lose them all and your life will change big time. Dentures exist for a reason after all. That is why we have always been told to brush, floss, and avoid too many sugary and acidic foods.
But there is no such thing as a perfect health routine. Everybody has to see the dentist eventually — once every six months, dentists usually say. Children are often nervous about their gums getting poked at, meanwhile adults have another thing to make them shiver — the bill.
Insurance may cover some of the cost, but not everybody has it. This has led almost one-quarter of Canadians to not see a dentist in over a year during the 2021-22 period, Global News reported.
In 2023, the federal government announced the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) as part of that year’s spring budget. To qualify, one must have “no access to dental insurance, an adjusted family net income of less than $90,000, be a Canadian resident for tax purposes, and have filed their tax return in the previous year.”
Rollout began in December and prioritized applications for those aged 87 years and older. The established timetable would see a new, descending age bracket eligible to apply in the following months until all remaining eligibles are able to sign up by 2025.
On June 27, Canadian Health Minister Mark Holland announced phase two of the rollout “for families who have children 18 and under, and to persons with disabilities,” Global News reported.
While it certainly is a godsend to have a national dental health program opening up to more Canadians, there is always a gripe to be had — that seems to be the thing this government excels at when addressing concerns such as this.
Firstly, there’s the fact that the Liberal Party did not implement a dental care program during its first two governments. It only did so at the behest of the NDP following the disappointing (for the Liberals) outcome of the 2021 federal election.
Whether it be dental care, health care, child care, or any other topic to care about — the Liberal Party prefers to dangle carrots on sticks in hopes of getting voters to pull them through the next election.
Another problem, and Liberal Party trademark, is that classic use of incrementalism when introducing programs. Yes, it is important to be careful and cautious when implementing policy, however — and paradoxically — it is just as reckless to be too painstakingly slow in implementation.
The CDCP is supposed to be a universal program, yet it has taken almost half a year to get those under 18 into the fold. Maybe it would have been better if children and seniors were allowed to apply simultaneously. That would be two especially vulnerable demographics checked off at once.
Then there is the number of providers who have opted into the CDCP. Just under half of all providers are a part of the plan, and there is a divide between dentists and other oral health-care professionals over the efficacy of the CDCP. The fact that the dental care industry cannot reach a consensus on the national insurance plan bodes ill towards full implementation.
Universal dental care needs to be universal. These half measures and incremental rollouts have left many Canadians disenchanted with the government. Is there any wonder why the Conservative Party is projected to win the next election?
