New Canada dental benefit to open up applications this month
Canada has officially launched its new dental benefit program and applications will open up this month.
Federal ministers Mark Holland, Jean-Yves Duclos, and Seamus O’Regan announced the rollout of the new Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) on Monday.
The government says it’ll “ease financial barriers to accessing oral healthcare for up to nine million uninsured Canadian residents.”
“The Canadian Dental Care Plan will be transformative for our country,” said Holland, the minister of health.
“It will significantly improve health outcomes, reduce a burden on our healthcare system, and build a foundation of equity by expanding access to oral healthcare for the millions of Canadians that currently do not have access to this critical care.”
Great news! We announced the #CanadianDentalCarePlan.
This is a truly transformative day for our country—this plan will help up to 9 million Canadians get the essential oral health care they need.
Watch ⬇️ to find out more. pic.twitter.com/ZL7gjNmCp2
— Mark Holland (@markhollandlib) December 11, 2023
Who can apply for the Canada dental benefit and when?
According to the federal government, the CDCP will provide dental coverage for uninsured Canadians with an annual family income of less than $90,000, with no co-pays for those with family incomes under $70,000.
It’ll be rolled out in phases over the coming months, starting with seniors.
Eligible seniors over the age of 87 can start applying for dental insurance sometime this month.
The next phase will be for people aged 77 to 86 in January 2024, followed by those aged 72 to 76 in February 2024, then those aged 70 to 71 in March 2024.
When eligible, individuals will receive letters inviting them to apply, with instructions on how to validate their eligibility and apply by telephone, according to a news release.
In May 2024, applications will shift to an online portal and will open for eligible seniors 65 and older.
People with a valid Disability Tax Credit certificate and children under the age of 18 will be able to apply online starting June 2024.
All remaining eligible Canadian residents between the ages of 18 and 64 will be able to apply online starting in 2025.
Canadians who are enrolled in the CDCP will be able to start claiming the benefits beginning May 2024, starting with seniors.
The start date to access oral healthcare will vary based on when each group can apply, when the application is received and when enrolment is completed.
This coverage start date, details of coverage, and member card will be sent by Sun Life, the contracted service provider, in a welcome package.
What will the CDCP cover?
The government says a wide range of oral healthcare services will covered under the CDCP to prevent and treat oral health disease.
This includes services like scaling (cleaning) and polishing, as well as other services like exams, x-rays, fillings, removable dentures, and root canal treatments.
According to the government, the CDCP will be reviewed regularly based on data and evidence to ensure it meets the needs of Canadians.
The new program comes after the success of the initial dental plan introduced in December 2022, which only covered children.
So far, it has helped keep more than 240,000 kids without impacting the finances of their guardians or parents, according to the government.
The new dental care plan is a result of the Liberal-NDP confidence-and-supply agreement.
The NDP promised to support the minority Liberal government in upcoming confidence votes, like federal budgets, in exchange for progress on NDP priorities.
One of the top priorities is universal dental care with the Liberals promising the NDP that it would implement a dental care plan for seniors, children under the age of 18 and people with disabilities by 2024.
The government has invested $13 billion over five years to implement the CDCP.
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