Transport Minister rolls out $13 billion (over five years) Dental Care Plan at event in Oshawa
Published March 31, 2023 at 4:06 pm
Lisa will always need braces, or at least an annual checkup, and that’s why federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra believes the $198.3 billion health care package delivered in the 2023 federal budget is a “transformative.”
Alghabra was in Oshawa at the Dental Clinic in Durham College Friday morning to announce the health care package – nearly $80 billion of that earmarked for Ontario – and a new Canadian Dental Care Plan to help as many as nine million Canadians to ensure “no Canadian has to choose between taking care of their health and paying the bills at the end of the month.”
The program is intended to help lower dental costs for eligible families earning less than $90,000 per year and was and the interim benefit was rolled out first for children under 12.
“Budget 2023 delivers a transformative investment to provide dental care to Canadians who need it, with $13 billion over five years, and $4.4 billion ongoing, to implement the Canadian Dental Care Plan,” Alghabra said.
The plan would provide dental coverage for uninsured Canadians with annual family income of less than $90,000, with no co-pays for those with family incomes under $70,000. The plan will begin to roll out in 2023.
Ottawa also introduced the Oral Health Access Fund, a $250 million program over three years (with $75 million ongoing) to complement the dental care plan by addressing oral health gaps among vulnerable populations and by reducing barriers to accessing dental care, including in rural and remote communities and for persons requiring specialized care due to a disability.
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“It is a challenging time in a challenging world, but there is no better place to be than Canada,” Alghabra said. “Our plan is to make life more affordable, strengthen public health care, and build a stronger, more sustainable, and more secure Canadian economy – for everyone.”
The new budget comes at a time when the country is recovering from the pandemic-induced recession, with economic growth during the past year the strongest among G7 nations.
Both Alghabra and Whitby MP Ryan Turnbull, who was also at the event at Durham College, sung of the praises of Ottawa’s economic recovery efforts that have led to eight months of declining inflation and a record-low unemployment rate.
The budget builds on that progress, Turnbull said.
“We are committed to making life more affordable, strengthening our healthcare system, and growing the clean economy. Our Canadian Dental Care Plan will extend dental coverage for those who are uninsured and in need. We will continue to work hard for Canadians and ensure no one is left behind.”
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