Holland must sell oral-health providers on dental care plan before coverage begins
Health Minister Mark Holland is on tour to sell Canadian dentists and hygienists on the new federal dental care plan as concerns mount about what the government plans to pay providers for their services.
The government started enrolling seniors to the dental-coverage plan late last year as part of a new program to deliver dental benefits directly to people who don’t currently have insurance.
The first people enrolled in the program are expected to be able to start getting their teeth cleaned and treated in May, but only if they have access to an oral-health provider who has signed up to provide the care.
Approximately 61 per cent of dentists surveyed by their provincial associations earlier this month said they weren’t planning to sign up for the program based on the information they had at the time, the Canadian Dental Association said.
Dental and hygienist associations support the aims of the program, but balked at the fee guides the federal government released last month, which pay out less than is recommended by provincial and territorial guides.
They’ve also raised concerns about the “terms and conditions,” including administrative burdens on staff and the fact that oral-health providers need to sign on to the program to provide care.
There are roughly 16,000 dental offices in Canada, the Canadian Dental Association said. The program also needs oral surgeons, denturists and independent hygienists offices to register.
The government won’t say how many have signed up since registration began on March 11.
“We need them to participate in order for this to be successful,” said Holland in an interview Friday.
Holland was in Richmond Hill, Ont. meeting with various providers as the first stop in a Canada-wide tour seeking to bring dentists and other care providers onside.
He wants to reassure them that the program will be as smooth for them as dealing with any other private insurance company, he said, and added that the negotiation about fees is ongoing.
“I’m committed to really working closely with them and explaining this is iterative, where it’s not going to be perfect out of the gate,” Holland said.
But getting it right from the beginning is important for patients as well as dentists and other providers, said Dr. Heather Carr, president of the Canadian Dental Association.
“I am concerned that this plan was born of politics, not policy. And I fear that if it’s rushed, that it won’t be so simple to get it right,” she said.
“It has to at least have the very simple principles that will help us get those patients the care they need.”