Federal dental plan 'getting better every day,' says Dental Association of P.E.I.
The Dental Association of P.E.I. is sounding considerably more upbeat about a federal dental program for seniors than it did at the end of March.
In an interview with Island Morning host Laura Chapin last month, association president Dr. Brian Barrett expressed concern about the administrative burden of the program and the fees it was offering to dentists.
Following a Wednesday evening meeting with federal Health Minister Mark Holland, Barrett expressed some satisfaction with changes that have been made.
"The plan is getting better every day," Barrett told Chapin on Thursday.
"We're getting down to the point where the program is probably looking a lot more acceptable to our members."
Last month, Barrett said 90 per cent of P.E.I. dentists responding to a survey said they would not sign up for the program.
One of the changes discussed in the meeting with Holland is that dentists will no longer need to sign up. Instead, they can just make a submission for payment, much as they would to a private insurance company.
Federal fees may be enough
Barrett was also less concerned about the fee schedules in the program.
While they will, in many cases, not cover the regular fee a dentist might charge, dentists will be able to charge the remainder to the patient.
Barrett said some P.E.I. dentists are currently treating patients who are the target of the program — lower income seniors — pro bono, and he believes in many cases they would accept the federal program as payment in full.
A lukewarm response from dentists to the plan may be connected to the changes, said Barrett.
"[Holland] is well aware that this dental plan could become a pretty serious election problem for the Liberals if they roll it out and it's a disaster," he said.
Seniors living in a household with an income below $90,000 a year would be eligible for the program. For seniors in households with incomes between $70,000 and $90,000, there is a co-pay.
