Québec solidaire, promises to establish a dental insurance universal

Pascal Dugas Drone

Thursday, 1 march 2018 11:19

UPDATE
Thursday, 1 march 2018 11:21

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QUÉBEC – If it wins power in the next October 1st, Québec solidaire (QS) is committed to develop a dental insurance universal public, a measure which would cost $ 950 million annually to the State of quebec.

According to the scale proposed by the formation of the left, the miners and the recipients of social assistance would be 100 % of their oral health care be reimbursed. For the adults, the cleaning and the care of prevention would be reimbursed at 80 %, while other treatments (repair of tooth decay, orthodontic treatment, etc) would be covered at 60 %.

“If you have a big portfolio, you are able to make treat your teeth, but if you don’t, you are not capable. This is unfair”, stressed the spokesperson for QS, Manon Massé, during a press briefing on Thursday morning.

“It is as if the mouth was not part of the rest of the body,” she illustrated, referring to the current system of health insurance.

According to QS, one-in-four canadians will not go to the dentist for economic reasons.

Variation of costs

The training policy also undertakes to regulate the cost of dental care, which varies from one dentist to another.

“Dentists can practically charge the price they want, without too much explanation. It is unthinkable to essential health care”, commented from his side the member of parliament for QS Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.

This new public insurance would lead more patients to see a dentist, hopes to QS. The training would also give more power to the dental hygienists to improve access to health care.

“There will be a reform of the Code des professions to allow dental hygienists to practice their craft without the supervision of a dentist”, has been proposed by Mr. Nadeau-Dubois.

QS account to implement this promise from his first term. His ultimate goal however, is to introduce an insurance scheme to cover 100 % of dental care, a measure that would cost more than $ 3 billion per year to the treasury of quebec.

Four Quebecers out of 10 are currently covered by a dental insurance, either private or to the public because they have less than 10 years.

With François Cormier