Update on the Canadian Dental Care Plan In early February, the federal government announced further details on the oral health care services that will be covered by the CanadianDental Care Plan (CDCP). The government’s statement included information about how some services, such as crowns, initial placement of partial dentures, and general anesthesia, will require preauthorization and prior evaluation from an oral health provider. The government also released the 2023 established fees for CDCP, for illustrative purposes only, available via Sun Life’s website (sunlife.ca/sl/cdcp/ en/provider/dental-benefit-grids) to inform oral health care providers ahead of the release of the 2024 fees. Later in March, the government published the 2024 CDCP abbreviated fees. Each service covered under the plan will be compensated at 2024 CDCP fees when services can start to be delivered in May 2024. The CDCP will reimburse a percentage of the cost, based on CDCP reimbursement rates, which are not the same as the provincial and territorial dental association (PTDA) suggested fee guides. CDCP fees will be reassessed annually to account for new evidence, inflation, and changes in costs over time. The plan is designed to have oral health providers bill Sun Life directly for eligible CDCP services. The government acknowledged that patients covered under the CDCP may have to pay an outstanding amount, such as a co-payment or additional charges, which would be paid directly to their oral health provider. In early March, the government said that more than one million older adults had successfully applied to participate in the CDCP through Service Canada. On March 11, Sun Life opened an online portal for oral health providers to sign up for participation in the CDCP (sunlife.ca/sl/cdcp/en/provider). What CDA and the PTDAs Have BeenWorking On CDA has been meeting on a regular basis (almost weekly) with senior officials at Health Canada to discuss and provide recommendations to improve the CDCP. CDA and PTDAs met with Minister Holland in early February to discuss specific concerns about the CDCP and how they could be addressed. In February, PTDAs and CDA distributed a survey to a sample of dentists across Canada. Over 4,000 dentists responded, and the results indicated that dentists were not willing to participate in the program The government acknowledged that patients covered under the CDCP may have to pay an outstanding amount, such as a co‑payment or additional charges, which would be paid directly to their oral health provider. 9 Issue 2 | 2024 |
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