The federal government plans to roll out a dental care plan by the end of the year that will see nine million uninsured lower-income Canadians be able to access dental care.Getty Images/iStockphoto
A dental-care plan for up to nine million uninsured Canadians is costing almost twice as much as originally planned by the Liberal government, and now comes with an extra $7.3-billion price tag.
The $13-billion Canadian Dental Care Plan, to help cover the cost of dentist bills over the next five years, is one of a number of budget measures outlined Tuesday to make life more affordable for hard-pressed Canadians.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said in her Commons budget speech that vulnerable Canadians “are still feeling the bite of higher prices.” She said the budget “delivers targeted inflation relief to those who need it most.”
The budget also includes a one-off “grocery rebate” payment for 11 million Canadians of low and modest incomes to help with increased costs, and help for students.
Ms. Freeland said at a press conference that when she was young, the state of a person’s teeth could indicate how much money their family had. She said she wanted to make sure that income would not determine who could go to the dentist.
By the end of this year the government plans to “begin rolling out a dental-care plan for what will eventually be up to nine million Canadians,” she said.
“That will mean no Canadian, ever again, will need to choose between taking care of their teeth and paying the bills at the end of the month.”
The dental program is a central feature of the Liberals’ confidence-and-supply deal with the NDP, and a key condition of NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh for keeping Justin Trudeau’s minority government in power until 2025.
The budget outlines that the dental plan will now cost $13-billion over five years, covering the cost of dental care for people without insurance and a family income of under $90,000 a year. Those earning less than $70,000 won’t have to top up any part of the dental bill from their own pocket.
Ms. Freeland, at the press conference, said the plan would be phased in, with details of precisely how set out later by Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos.
A Finance Department official said the extra $7.3-billion cost was in part owing to speeding up the program, and recalculating how many million people would potentially qualify.
“This costing reflects the actual implementation of the program, the speed of implementation and the desire to have this rolling out as quickly as possible,” said the official, explaining details of the budget to the media.
He said it would be phased in according to the terms of the supply and confidence agreement with the NDP. The first phase of the plan for children under 12 years old was set up last year, and is to be expanded to under-18s, seniors and disabled people this year, with full implementation of the plan by 2025.
Ottawa will ensure that people who already have dental insurance cannot take part in the government’s plan by making employers and employer pension plans report who has dental coverage on T4 tax forms.
The budget also establishes an Oral Health Access fund, with $250-million of funding over three years, to help Canadians who may have barriers to accessing health care, such as a disability or living in a remote location where there are no dentists.
The government also made good on repeated demands from Mr. Singh for extra help for struggling Canadian families in the budget.
The one-time payment to 11 million Canadians on modest and low incomes aims to “help make up for higher prices at the checkout counter,” said Ms. Freeland.
The payment is an extended version of the GST rebate program for low-income Canadians. The $2.5-billion scheme is to be delivered as soon as budget legislation passes this year.
Under the GST “grocery” rebate, a couple with two children earning less than $40,000 a year would get a payment of $467. A Canadian without children earning less than $40,000 would get an extra $234.
Mr. Singh said the NDP had been instrumental in bringing about both the dental-care plan and expanded GST rebate.
“Today’s budget shows that when New Democrats use our power, we get real things done for people,” he said. “This is a difficult time for Canadians. The cost of everything is up. Justin Trudeau voted against dental care twice and he didn’t want to double the GST rebate, but we didn’t take no for an answer. We fought and we got those things for working people.”
Ms. Freeland also unveiled an $813-million cash injection to help students, including raising the maximum amount of student grants by 40 per cent to $4,200, and the amount of student loans from $210 to $300 per week of study.
The budget also cracked down on predatory lending, making it a criminal offence to charge more than 35 per cent interest, down from 47 per cent.