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Applications for a new federal dental care plan to ease financial barriers, particularly for Windsor-Essex residents who are lagging behind provincial standards when it comes to oral health, open Thursday to children under 18 and adults with valid disability tax credit certificates.
During a brief visit to Windsor on Tuesday, federal Health Minister Mark Holland announced the next phase of the Canada Dental Care Plan with Member of Parliament Irek Kusmierczyk (left, Windsor-Tecumseh) outside his local constituency office, highlighting the success so far with almost two million seniors across the country enrolled.
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For a community like Windsor-Essex, where a quarter of residents don't have health insurance, the dental plan is a “game changer for a lot of our residents,” Kusmierczyk said.
The initial phase of the program focused on seniors who did not have dental insurance and had a net household income of less than $90,000.
Federal Health Minister Mark Holland MP, left, and Irek Kusmierczyk MP speak to reporters about the federal government's dental health plans in Windsor, Tuesday, June 25, 2024. Photo: Dan Janis/Windsor Star
According to the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, more than 90 per cent of the region's seniors aged 56 and over are eligible for insurance.
“200,000 seniors have already had dental care through this initiative, often for the first time in their lives,” Kusmierczyk said, “so it's a huge success.”
In the biggest expansion of health care in generations, the federal government will commit $13 billion over the next five years, plus an additional $4.4 billion on an ongoing basis, to support a range of preventive, diagnostic, restorative and surgical services, including cleanings, polishing, exams, x-rays, fillings, removable dentures and root canal treatment.
Navjeet Gill (left), owner of Smile Wagon mobile dental hygiene clinic, talks with Member of Parliament Irek Kusmierczyk (centre) and federal Health Minister Mark Holland in Windsor on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. Photo: Dan Janis/Windsor Star
Navjeet Gill, a Windsor-based dental hygienist, owner of mobile dental services company Smile Wagon and partner with the Canadian Dental Health Plan, also attended Tuesday's meeting.
About 40 percent of dental professionals across the country have already signed up as partners in the plan, Kusmierczyk added.
During Tuesday's visit, Holland also toured the Jamison Research Station and Ojibway Park, and had the opportunity to meet with members of the University of Windsor's National Urban Parks Hub.
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