Dental associations are 'negotiating' ahead of federal dental plan rollout: minister
CTV
Canada's dental associations, which say some of their members are reluctant to participate in the national dental care plan, are in fact just negotiating with Ottawa over the program, says federal Health Minister Mark Holland.
Canada's dental associations, which say some of their members are reluctant to participate in the national dental care plan, are in fact just negotiating with Ottawa over the program, says federal Health Minister Mark Holland.
"They're doing their job. They are negotiating," Holland told reporters on Monday. "They want to get the best deal for their members; I want to get the best deal for taxpayers."
However, he said, the federal government can't accept the demand by "a lot" of dentists and other dental care providers that patients pay for services first and then get reimbursed by Ottawa, as is possible with private insurers.
"We can't do that," Holland said. "These are vulnerable people who can't pay out of their own pocket. So that's a red line."
The government, he added, is open to reducing as much as possible the administrative burden on dental providers, but he said Ottawa is also looking for some sort of control mechanism over the program.
"Otherwise, somebody could abuse it and we wouldn't want that, and we do have a responsibility for taxpayers."
The Liberal government launched the Canadian Dental Care Plan as a condition of a deal with the NDP to ensure the opposition party's support on key votes. The federal insurance-like program is expected to provide coverage to uninsured families with a household income under $90,000, starting in May, with seniors the first to be invited to take part. The plan is slated to cost $13 billion over five years.
