A mom who pays a $70 dentist bill for her child…and then gets a $650 check from the federal government to cover the expenses.1
Posted at 7:15 p.m
Amounts will be refunded without presentation of a receipt showing only a date of the dental appointment, which can then be cancelled.
In Quebec, treatments already reimbursed by the Régie de l’assurance maladie are reimbursed twice by Ottawa.
We already knew that the Trudeau government’s new dental care program had been drawn up in a hurry under pressure from the NDP, which holds the fate of the liberal minority government in its own hands.
We knew that in its infancy there would be minimal control, since the federal government was essentially content to send checks to families who need them to cover children’s dental expenses without systematic controls.
Ottawa had mentioned a temporary program “based on honor” for which guidelines would come later.
We knew all this, but we took the leap anyway when we heard the first echoes from practice regarding the new federal dental care program. A program that will still cost 5.3 billion over 5 years.
The Parliamentary Budget Officer has also publicly intervened to denounce the risks of fraud and abuse that this program poses.
These echoes show us one thing: the urgency to streamline and define this program.
The big problem at this point is that the federal government still can’t tell us how and when it will set these guidelines.
This raises fears that current negligence is becoming the norm and that, as is all too often the case, the Trudeau government’s faucet is pouring out the cash without a thought to patching the leaks.
Let’s recall how the Canada Emergency Response benefit and wage subsidy programs have led to many abuses during the pandemic. The Auditor General has revealed that payouts of as much as $27.4 billion should be “thoroughly investigated”. A fortune ! At the time, the government at least had the excuse of extreme urgency.
In the case of the dental care program, raising the bar is even more important that this program is necessary.
It is unacceptable that in a country like ours, our children and seniors should be denied dental care because they cannot afford it. There is no point in our public health system treating all of your ailments except those unfortunate enough to occur in your mouth.
Because of this, it is necessary to put in place a solid, well-controlled program that will stand up to criticism and last a long time.
At the federal level, we are told that it is impossible to require receipts before reimbursement for dental treatment. This would mean that low-income families foot the bill first, and many cannot.
Obviously, insurance is worthless if those who need it most don’t have access to it. But how many private insurers have found a way to only charge their customers at the dentist’s counter for the amounts not reimbursed?
The truth is that sending checks is infinitely easier than structuring an actual program. Especially when you know how hard the federal machine is struggling to serve its citizens.
Health Canada has little experience administering population-based programs such as dental care. The most logical thing would have been to entrust the administration to Services Canada. But since we’re already struggling with the administration of employment insurance benefits, we suspect no one has dared throw more into this court.
So it’s the Canadian tax authority that administers the dental care program, an odd association.
In Ottawa, we’re told they hope to eventually reach an agreement with the provinces so they’re the ones to take care of your teeth. In Québec, for example, you only need to give your health insurance card to the dentist. The federal government would work behind the scenes with the provinces.
This would be ideal for patients, but such a scenario requires complex negotiations. The federal government must manage to bring it to a conclusion quickly or set up its own system of strict controls.
One thing is for sure, the current laxity that is so characteristic of the way this government handles money must end.