Ottawa allows dentists to bill federal program on case-by-case basis

As of today, oral health-care providers can treat patients under the Canadian Dental Care Plan on a case-by-case basis without officially signing on to the program.

Ottawa introduced the measure in the hope that it would entice more dentists to take part in the new national public insurance plan.

«You can just try it out, submit a claim and see what you think,» Health Minister Mark Holland told a press conference in Halifax on Monday.

Patients should still check to see whether their dentist is willing to accept them as oral health-care providers decide whether they want to participate, Health Canada officials cautioned.

More than 2 million people are approved for coverage so far under the program, which eventually will help to pay for dental office visits for the one in four low- and middle-income Canadian residents who don't have private coverage.

To bill on a case-by-case basis, providers must agree to submit claims directly to Sunlife, the insurance company the federal government contracted to run the program. They can't ask their patients to pay the full cost up front.

«We have certain providers who are handing over Sun Life forms and saying, 'You go send this in and you go pay for it.'» Holland said. «The patient doesn't pay out of their own pocket.»

Providers are being reimbursed in as little as 12 hours, he added.

To submit claims on a case-by-case basis, oral health-care providers must also agree to verification of their services, Holland said. This is similar to how private dental plans work, he added.

«We have no interest in auditing anybody unless there is evidence of malfeasance,» Holland said.

The Canadian Dental Association, which has long advocated for a national public dental care plan, has raised concerns about