Dear Valued Patients of Georgian Bay Family Dentistry,

This September our office will begin accepting the CDCP coverage for existing patients who qualify.

I want to take the opportunity to sincerely thank all of you who have already qualified, but have continued to come to our office, despite us not accepting the program.  We feel very valued by your support during this challenging time.  There were some difficult conversations surrounding the choice not to accept the initial program and I was overwhelmed with the grace, understanding, and compassion that so many of you showed to me.  In now accepting the CDCP, I hope to return the gesture.

The first version of the program was deeply flawed.  Initial collective resistance resulted in some of the most controversial aspects of the program being removed.  There are still many shortcomings, but I do not anticipate any more improvements, and so we will do our best to accept the parameters that the government has set and do our best to work with it on your behalf.

I have always prided myself on honesty as a core value.  In an effort to be completely candid with you, I will quickly review my concerns and rationale for now accepting the CDCP.  Four of the most problematic factors of the program were unfair contracts, poor overall scope of coverage, unsustainably low fees, and no direct assignment of benefits (which is the source of a significant increase in administrative burden to my staff).  The contracts have been removed, the scope is still very limited, the fee structure is still poor, but the expectation to “balance bill” the patient has addressed this, and the assignment of benefits I will reluctantly accept for this program because I do want my patients to have access to it.

I really want to stress the points that the CDCP is not “free” dental care and is also very far from comprehensive.  Every patient should expect a co-pay, even if it says you have “100%” coverage.  We will help you calculate this.  What is covered is very limited and mostly focused on “reactionary” treatment of existing diseases, not prevention of future disease.  What I mean by that is that cavities, extractions, and some root canals will usually be covered.  There are very stringent rules about how often a procedure can be done, so in some cases even these procedures won’t be covered.  My understanding is that they are very ridged about these rules and won’t budge, even when it doesn’t seem fair.

Hygiene and check-ups get very limited coverage.  It is significantly less than most people require in a year.  This is probably my greatest disappointment with the program.  The success of modern dentistry has its foundation in prevention and this program does not adequately address the needs of most people.

If we think of the CDCP as a coupon book from the government to help offset the significant cost burden that can present itself in maintaining our oral health, we have ourselves a win.  Any help in reducing out-of-pocket expense from the government is welcome, especially with recent inflation and our present economy.  Just please understand that it is just that: some measure of assistance, not comprehensive coverage.

Please bring proof of coverage if you have it.  To those who might qualify, but didn’t apply because I wasn’t accepting it, please do apply.  We will do our best to assist you in navigating this new program.

Sincerely, Dr. Rob Guthrie and the Georgian Bay Family Dentistry Team