Liberal-NDP dental plan would benefit millions of Canadians

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This article was published 22/03/2022 (1046 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In one of the biggest health-care initiatives since medicare was created, the federal government is launching a national dental care program that will impact the lives of millions of Canadians.

The program is the centrepiece of an agreement announced Tuesday between the Liberals and NDP that will keep Justin Trudeau’s minority government in power until at least 2025.

But a national dental plan has long been a desire of the NDP which has argued it will improve the lives of those who are uninsured, especially young people, low-wage and precarious workers, and seniors.

“We know it’ll provide comprehensive coverage, completely funded by the federal government, for 6.5 million Canadians,” said NDP health critic Don Davies, “frankly our most needy Canadians, and so we’re very confident and positive about our program.”

The program will be limited to families with an income of less than $90,000 a year, with no copays for those making less than $70,000. It’s set to launch this year starting with children under 12 years old, then moving on to those under 18, seniors and people with disabilities next year, with full implementation by 2025.

A specialist in dental public health said more details are needed, but it’s “wonderful news” and something low-income Canadians need.

“Researchers like myself and the advocacy community have been talking about this for upwards of 30 years, and we’ve seen hints of governments and politicians caring about this issue over time, but nothing has really come to fruition,” said Carlos Quinonez, professor at the University of Toronto’s faculty of dentistry.

In 2020, the parliamentary budget officer estimated the plan would cost $1.5 billion a year and impact about 6.5 million uninsured Canadians. The parliamentary budget officer also noted that the government would face a one-time cost of $3 billion to primarily cover untreated cavities in the eligible population.

The past president of the Canadian Association of Public Health Dentistry expressed hope Tuesday’s announcement will spark a conversation on the need for universal access to dental care for all Canadians and enshrining it in the Canada Health Act, similar to medicare.

“It’s a good step in the right direction, that at the federal level something for the general population has come up,” said Sonica Singhal. “It’s important to identify if there is something good happening, and at least there’s a beginning.”

Davies said he views the new program as a “down payment” on universal dental coverage. “That is our goal,” he said.

However, the Canadian Dental Association expressed surprise at the announcement and said that instead of creating a new program, the federal government should instead invest in underfunded provincial and territorial dental programs.

Such a funding model would be the “single best way” to quickly improve access to dental care, said Michel Breau, the association’s head of advocacy and governance.

And he said it will be important to ensure the federal program doesn’t “disrupt” access for Canadians who have dental coverage through benefit plans.

“From our perspective, it’s really a question of why reinvent the wheel?” he said.

“The needs and challenges on the ground vary across the country, and the provinces have already developed over years their own set of programs to respond to the unique needs of their population. That would be the best place for the federal government to start.”

But Davis said making it a federal stand-alone program will eliminate the need to negotiate with the provinces which will speed up care.

“It doesn’t require any agreements with the provinces, it doesn’t require any contributions from them,” he said.

“I can’t see a single premier in this country who would stand in the way of a program that helps poor children and seniors get their teeth fixed,” Davies said. He argued it would save the provinces money by reducing emergency room visits by people with dental health problems.

The Liberal-NDP agreement also means that a Canada Pharmacare Act is expected to be passed by the end of 2023 to lay the groundwork for universal prescription drug coverage — something the Liberals have flirted with on and off for several years. The NDP tabled a motion last year pushing for such a program but it was voted down in the House of Commons.

Dr. Eric Hoskins, the former Ontario health minister who chaired the federal advisory council on the implementation of national pharmacare — which recommended a universal, single-payer system in 2019 — said he was especially excited with the timeline for passing a pharmacare act.

He said much of the work between now and passage of the act will require collaboration and partnership with the provinces, Indigenous peoples, and other groups.

“It’s more than a consultation, it has to be a real group effort because this is really monumental,” he said.

“Whenever you have a big national project like this, it’s never easy, but there’s incredible support across the country by governments — some more than others — but also overwhelmingly by the general public. And so I would say it’s entirely doable.”

He said it’s important to recognize that not all provinces and territories will be ready to opt into national pharmacare at the outset, pointing out that the advisory council recommended proceeding with a program anyway.

Hoskins wouldn’t confirm if he was consulted by the political parties on their agreement, saying he’s “happy to provide my thoughts and advice to anybody at any time on building a national pharmacare program for this country.”

Jacques Gallant is a Toronto-based reporter covering politics for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @JacquesGallant