The federal government unveiled rollout details of its long-awaited Canadian Dental Care Plan on Monday, giving a leg up for low and middle-income residents without private insurance.
The plan, known as the CDCP, was born out of the Liberals’ supply-and-confidence deal with the NDP in 2022, and it offers dental care benefits directly to Canadian residents who are uninsured with a household income under $90,000.
It’s part of a measure in the federal government’s spring 2023 budget, which allocated $13 billion over five years beginning in 2023 to 2024, and $4.4 billion ongoing.
“The CDCP aims to help ease financial barriers to accessing oral health care services and provides coverage to eligible Canadian residents, who currently do not have access to dental insurance,” according to a Monday media release.
Health Minister Mark Holland called the CDCP “transformative for our country.”
“It will significantly improve health outcomes, reduce a burden on our health care system, and build a foundation of equity by expanding access to oral health care for the millions of Canadians that currently do not have access to this critical care,” he said in the release.
Here are the key takeaways from the dental plan.
Who qualifies for the dental program?
To qualify for the CDCP, Canadians must meet the following criteria:
they do not have access to dental insurance
they have an annual adjusted family net income under $90,000
they must be a Canadian resident for tax purposes
a tax return from the previous year must have been filed
Canadians who already have access to dental benefits through provincial, territorial, and federal social programs and who meet these criteria will still be able to apply for the dental program, according to the media release.
When will the dental program start?
Applications for the dental plan will first open for seniors aged 87 and up starting in December 2023, expanding in phases by age group. People in this age bracket who may be eligible will receive a letter inviting them to apply, according to the federal government’s announcement.
Starting in January 2024, seniors aged 77 to 86 can then apply. Then in February 2024, seniors aged 72 to 76 can apply. Starting in March 2024, seniors aged 70 to 71 can apply.
And then in May 2024, seniors aged 65 to 69 can start applying.
Canadians with a valid disability tax credit certificate and children under the age of 18 will be able to apply online starting in June 2024.
All remaining eligible Canadian residents will be able to apply online starting in 2025.
Once enrolled, Canadian residents who qualify will be sent a welcome package by Sun Life with a member card and a starting date for when their oral health care services will be covered.
Those who are covered will be able to start seeing oral health-care providers as early as May 2024, starting with seniors.
The dental care plan will not reimburse any oral health-care service done before the person’s start date.
What dental services are covered?
Services covered under the federal dental care plan include the following (with some services only becoming available in fall 2024).
preventive services, including scaling (cleaning), polishing, sealants and fluoride
diagnostic services, including examinations and X-rays
restorative services, including fillings
endodontic services, including root canal treatments
prosthodontic services, including complete and partial removable dentures
periodontal services, including deep scaling
oral surgery services, including extractions
How much is covered?
To minimize out-of-pocket expenses for individuals covered by the plan, oral health-care providers must submit claims directly to Sun Life for payment, eliminating the need for patients to seek reimbursement from the insurance company.
The dental program will reimburse a percentage of dental procedures, but some people covered under the plan may have a co-payment. This is the percentage of the dental plan that is not covered by the federal government, which people will have to pay out of pocket.
Family net incomes between $70,000 and $79,000 will have a 40 per cent co-payment. And those between $80,000 and $89,000 will have a 60 per cent co-payment plan.
MONTREAL – One expert says entry-level pay under the tentative deal between Air Canada and its pilots could be a stumbling block ahead of a union vote on the agreement.
Under their current contract, pilots earn far less in their first four years at the company before enjoying a big wage increase starting in year five.
The Air Line Pilots Association had been pushing to scrap the so-called “fixed rate” provision entirely.
But according to a copy of the contract summary obtained by The Canadian Press, the proposed deal announced Sunday would merely cut the four-year period of lower pay to two years.
John Gradek, who teaches aviation management at McGill University, says as many as 2,000 of Air Canada’s roughly 5,200 active pilots may earn entry-level wages following a recent hiring surge.
After the airline averted a strike this week, Gradek says the failure to ditch the pay grade restrictions could prompt pushback from rank-and-file flight crew and jeopardize the deal, which is up for a vote next month.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.
ROME (AP) — Salvatore “Totò” Schillaci, the Italy striker who was top scorer at its home World Cup in 1990, has died. He was 59.
Schillaci had been hospitalized in Palermo following treatment for colon cancer.
The Palermo Civico hospital said in a statement that Schillacci died on Wednesday morning after being admitted 11 days ago.
Schillaci scored six goals for Italy during the 1990 World Cup. He came on as a substitute during Italy’s opener against Austria, scored in a 1-0 victory, and went on to earn the Golden Boot awarded to the tournament’s top scorer. He only scored one other goal for Italy in his career.
Italian soccer federation president Gabriele Gravina announced that a minute of silence would be held in memory of Schillaci before all games in the country for the rest of the week.
“The uncontrollable celebrations, in which his face was the symbol of shared joy, will remain forever part of Italian soccer (history),” Gravina said. “Totò was a great player, a symbol of tenacious desire and redemption. … His soccer was full of passion. And that fearless spirit made everyone appreciate him and will make him immortal.”
Schillaci also won the Golden Ball award at the 1990 World Cup as the tournament’s top player ahead of Lothar Matthaus and Diego Maradona.
Schillaci played for Messina, Juventus, Inter Milan and Japanese team Jubilo Iwata during his club career.
“You made an entire nation dream during the Magical Nights of Italia ’90,” Inter said on its social media channels.
West Germany won the 1990 World Cup, beating Argentina in the final, while Italy beat England for third place with a winning penalty kick from Schillaci.
Roberto Baggio, who scored Italy’s opening goal in the third-place match, wrote on Instagram, “Ciao my dear friend.”
Having been born and raised in Palermo, the Palermo soccer team announced that it would hold a public viewing of Schillaci at its Renzo Barbera stadium ahead of the funeral, the Gazzetta dello Sport reported.
French soccer player Wissam Ben Yedder will stay free ahead of his trial on charges of sexual assault while intoxicated, one of his lawyers told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Marie Roumiantseva said Ben Yedder will remain under strict judicial supervision after a woman filed a lawsuit for sexual assault earlier this month.
The 34-year-old Ben Yedder, a prolific striker in the French league, was briefly detained then released after the alleged incident in his car on the French Riviera. Ben Yedder had been stopped by police after he first refused to do so. He was then put in a jail cell.
After he was summoned to appear in court on Oct. 15 and placed under judicial supervision, the Nice prosecutor’s office appealed the decision not to remand the player in custody. The investigative chamber of the Court of Appeal of Aix-en-Provence did not grant this request and kept Ben Yedder under judicial supervision.
Ben Yedder attended a hearing Tuesday during which he offered to go to rehab. He has admitted he drove while under the influence of alcohol but has denied any sexual assault.
In a separate legal case last year, Ben Yedder was charged with “rape, attempted rape and sexual assault” over another alleged incident in the south of France.
Ben Yedder has been without a club since his contract with Monaco expired at the end of last season.
