The President of the NL Dental Association says dentists cannot be expected to subsidize a national dental care program which is being phased-in over the coming months.
Dr. Shane Roberts says Health Canada is basing the new program on another program currently in place—the national Non-Insured Health Benefits for First Nations / Inuit.
Roberts says that program comes with a significant administrative burden and its own fee schedule—not one set by dentists themselves.
As a result, Roberts says, dentists have had to subsidize the program because dentists will not receive the fees reflective of costs.
He says Health Canada’s expectation at this time is that “dentists should not receive the customary fees which reflect the overhead to provide the highest quality dental care, while at the same time doing the additional administrative work. That’s simply not fair.” He expects that the next challenge for Health Canada will be to encourage the participation of dentists in the Canadian Dental Care Plan.