The new Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) is growing in popularity at a rapid rate according to the federal government.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Federal Health Minister Mark Holland gave an update in Toronto, Wednesday, at a participating dental clinic.
They say nearly 2 million seniors have now signed up for the plan and about 90,000 have been treated.
Freeland encourages those over 65 to go online or call to see if they qualify.
“Up until now, in Canada, you’ve been able to tell how much money someone makes or how much someone earns by their smile. That’s not right, that’s not fair.”
The plan is for those who do not have access to dental insurance and have a family net income of less than $90,000.
Thousands of providers
The number of dental clinics providing coverage of the new plan is also rising quickly.
Federal Health Minister Mark Holland says about 10,000 have signed on, up from 5,000 just a few weeks ago, and those who have, say it’s easy.
“We’ve got a 48-hour service standard to make sure that providers participating get their payment right away. That’s huge from their administration perspective.”
He adds that as providers continue to share information about the plan with their colleagues, they will continue to see the numbers grow.
Services expanding
The program is set to expand next month to not only people with a valid disability tax credit, but as well as anyone under 18.
Holland says they are also introducing a new portal July 8, where providers will be able to bill SunLife directly, which he hopes will bring in more clinics.
There will also be pre-authorization coming in November.
For any clinics who were hesitant to sign on, Holland says there have been positive conversations recently with not only Dental Associations in Prince Edward Island, but New Brunswick and Nova Scotia as well.
The plan kicked in May 1.
