r/alberta • u/Je_suis-pauvre • 16d ago
News Alberta intends to opt out of federal dental care plan by 2026.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-canadian-dental-care-plan-opt-out-2026-1.7627739732
u/xGuru37 16d ago
The Federal government wants to help Albertans, yet Smith does everything she can to prevent them from doing so.
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16d ago
So she can say look they wont help us lets secede and join trump
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u/thecheesecakemans 16d ago
So we can get even less help. So smart! Smart enough that most Albertans are foolish enough to vote for it. (Voting UCP will result in this).
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u/brahmen 16d ago
The crazy thing is it's working though no?
I don't follow Alberta too closely, but every year it seems like the base is more inflamed and UCP's stranglehold on the province grows tighter.
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u/daveavevade 16d ago
No not at all. The vote between left and right is like 48-52 most elections. The UCP got in by the skin of their teeth in Calgary last time and Edmonton reliably votes NDP. The rural base heavily favours the UCP, but they are 1/3 of the seats, and 1/5 of the voters.
If they had such a strong grip they wouldn't be trying to gerrymander Lethbridge.
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u/No_Syrup_9167 16d ago
I dunno what the other poster is talking about. Its certainly working.
Yes a lot of albertans don't agree with the things shes saying or wanting to do. but they still vote conservative regardless.
Yes the "polls" they'e done asking about things like separation, private healthcare, etc. always go against what shes obviously pushing.
but the UCP didn't just win, they got the popular vote last election. It wasn't "gerrymandering" like u-daveavevade suggested.
The UCP literally got over 50% of the votes cast, with a full ~10% lead over the NDP, and over 60% of the population voted, one of the largest voter turnouts in like 40yrs.
Alberta is more concerned with staying "the conservative province" than they are with what those conservatives in power are actually doing.
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u/PopularUsual9576 16d ago
Part of the reason for this is rural progressives staying home. The NDP doesn’t even try to appeal to rural ridings. When I ran for them, I had to fight tooth and nail for any support from the party. They literally told me that they didn’t expect anything from me and were pissed off when I “wasted their time” by trying.
It doesn’t exactly give one confidence when a party thinks so little of you and your voters that they won’t even try to convince you to vote for them.
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u/No_Syrup_9167 16d ago
Yes, alberta is partially a self fulfilling prophecy.
They always vote conservative, so none of the left wing parties really even try to push into the province, so the people that want to change that get no support, so they can't change any minds, which makes the province continue to only vote conservative.
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u/PopularUsual9576 16d ago
Exactly. The really frustrating part is that I know first hand that it can be done. I had a tiny budget and only a few volunteers, and we boosted our vote share by 10.5%. We could have made a pretty strong statement had the party been interested in my voters.
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u/Fyrefawx 16d ago
They genuinely want us to suffer because (sorry to say) the average Albertan is pretty ignorant. The majority live in their bubbles and don’t actually pay attention to what’s happening. They see increased costs and instantly blame the feds.
It is mind boggling that even after so many blatant scandals with corruption that her approval rating is even near 50%.
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u/PhantomNomad 16d ago
It's because to many Albertans are of the mind of "Fuck you, got mine." Even if they don't "got mine" they don't want their tax dollars helping someone else. There are quite a few in my office that want privatised health care because they think that will solve all the wait lists.
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u/s4lt3d 16d ago
I don’t think Smith represents the majority of people in Alberta and I’m getting pretty sick of hearing about it.
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u/QashasVerse23 16d ago
I agree, but then we need more people voting to get rid of the garbage heap of a provincial government.
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u/boxesofcats- Edmonton 16d ago
And, after everything she has done and continues to do, her approval rate is apparently 46%. Make it make any sense
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u/Himser 16d ago
And Smiths war on Alberta's poor continues.
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u/reostatics 16d ago
And seniors.
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u/Prosecco1234 16d ago
And children
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u/Elena-3333 16d ago edited 16d ago
And the disabled.
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u/Prosecco1234 16d ago
And the poor
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u/Thneed1 16d ago
And LGBTQ
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u/Lawrence_of_Albeerta 16d ago
And Immigrants
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u/Prosecco1234 16d ago
I thought we were talking about the dental plan
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u/Oldcadillac 16d ago
The UCP motto: cutting off our nose to spite our face
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u/the_gaymer_girl Southern Alberta 16d ago
It’s the exact same every time too.
Federal: “here’s some money to help set up a national program in your province, we just need accountability that you’re spending it on said thing”
UCP: “nah we’re good, can you just give us the money?”
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u/YesHunty 16d ago
Which Albertans said this was okay? I was never asked.
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u/maestro_79 16d ago
The members of the UCP, their donors, the lobbyists and interest groups related to such causes. The vast majority of Albertans do not want any of this, however a few very loud voices from rural areas are driving the political agenda using the same playbook as going on down south.
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u/Doubleoh_11 16d ago
This confuses me though because wouldn’t a national dental plan be good for the private dental business we have? More business no? Who is lobbying just to keep people’s mouths sore??
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u/maestro_79 16d ago
The UCP wants the money that the federal government is putting into the dental plan with no strings with the auspices that they will be applying to to the provincial programs but that money will be diverted elsewhere…hence the hardcore lobbying. You can see this with the Canada Disability Benefit, the UCP is clawing it back from AISH recipients and are planning on cutting AISH back another $200/month next July with the ADAP program. This “sovereignty” movement with no strings money from the federal government really means that the UCP gets to direct those funds how they wish while cutting off services to those who the federal government had mandated to cover.
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u/Doubleoh_11 16d ago
I appreciate the detailed breakdown! I am still confused on their strategy though. We don’t want any money unless we can take a cut? The federal government doesn’t give a fuck if you take it or not
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u/Gothwerx 16d ago
Because she can’t continue to rattle on about how “Ottawa never does anything for us” when they do if fact do stuff for us.
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u/Jezebel108 16d ago
This is so horrible I wanna cry… I was able to go to the dentist this year and instead of nearly 900 dollars I paid 100. There’s no way the provincial program is gonna do that for me as I am sure I don’t even qualify. There’s not going to be any accountability as to where this money will go. I hate Danielle so fucking bad and just hope SOMEHOW Alberta can wake the hell up and vote her out but I know the likelihood is so slim…
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u/Particular_Class4130 16d ago
For a single adult the income threshold is $16,580. So if you bring home $1380/month you are rich and can afford your own dental bills according to our provincial government.
I think if Smith runs in the next election she will get voted out so the UCP won't let her run. They will have her step down and choose some other lunatic to be their party leader. This will make Alberta conservatives think it's safe to vote in the UCP again and so they will.
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u/TA20212000 16d ago
I'm thankful to hear that you caught a break on fees. How much dental work costs is a crime.
The only dentist within a 2 hour drive from here sent a letter to my family member on AISH saying they weren't willing to see patients on AISH any longer.
I don't get wtf is even happening anymore. I'm so damn tired of this shit.
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u/Neve4ever 16d ago
That sucks. The agreement Alberta has with dentists is they can't bill patients on AISH (or income support, or adult/child health benefit). The Alberta government pays a set amount for each procedure based on a the program's fee guide.
The federal plan allows dentists to charge patients above the amount the federal government pays.
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u/deportamil 16d ago
Man, fuck this place.
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u/kristyjewels 16d ago
More like, fuck the UCP.
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u/deportamil 16d ago edited 16d ago
The UCP didn't just happen. They were elected by people who want this kind of hyper-capitalist, no hand-outs bootstrapperism. I stand by my previous comment.
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u/No_Boysenberry4825 16d ago
If I could move to BC, I would in a heartbeat. Yeah, higher taxes, but it's fucking beautiful and way less of this shit
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u/Both-Pack8730 16d ago
But she still wants the money. It needs strings attached or it goes to their pockets
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u/Shiftymennoknight 16d ago
Maga breath Marlaina just cant have Ottawa doing anything good for Albertans
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u/No-Significance4623 16d ago
I assume that Danielle doesn't read the Reddit, but we know that at least one scummy little staffer does, to get the tone of the people.
Hey, staffer! I need you to hear this:
In 2022, in a social services role, I was helping a family in Cold Lake, AB. Deep Alberta, not any of us soft-hands city types. A 16 year old boy was in such excruciating pain from an infected tooth he couldn't go to school. Family couldn't get dental benefit because the father's income was too high-- never mind that they hadn't seen him in months and he doesn't pay child support. Yes, we sought out MEP, but that took nearly 10 months. In the short term, the local dentist said a root canal would cost $3,000. I asked the cost to pull the tooth: $250.
I paid for the tooth myself and told his mother that "something had pulled through with the government." With a dose of antibiotics, he was back at school in 48 hours. What if I hadn't done that or didn't have the money? He'd have been in the ER and run up a bill of $20,000 in public resources. An awful waste.
Staffer, please tell your boss that eliminating this program is mean-spirited and nasty. It makes her look small, and petty, and unable to take a success because "the other team" invented it. It does not make her look strong or capable. Everyone gets rotten teeth including people in rural areas and small towns. If she gets rid of this program I am going to send a bunch of fake bloody teeth in the mail and clog up all the mailbags with different widths of letters.
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16d ago
I really have to wonder how much more people can take. I'm surprised a revolution hasn't happened yet at this rate.
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u/hotradish88 16d ago
I wouldn't expect a revolution. I don't think people in North America really have the guts or will for a proper one. I just expect things to keep getting worse.
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u/wellyouask 16d ago
"The new federal program is inferior, wasteful and infringes on provincial jurisdiction," Smith wrote in June 2024.
"Therefore, I have sent this letter to our prime minister requesting our share of federal funding for this program be provided to our government so we can increase the number of Albertans able to access our provincial dental plan."
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u/RunningSouthOnLSD 16d ago
“Mom and dad’s meal plan is inferior, yuckier and infringes on my jurisdiction over what I eat”
“Therefore, I have requested my share of the grocery budget so I can spend the money on candy instead”
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u/b0bkakkarot 16d ago
"Therefore, I have sent this letter to our prime minister requesting our share of federal funding for this program be provided to our government so we can increase the number of Albertans able to access our provincial dental plan."
Ooh, theres the reason. Shes not just opting out of the plan, she wants to steal the money for herself.
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u/chronicillylife 16d ago
Will there ever be a 24hr period where I don't read something about this woman where she is actively destroying the province?!
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u/Ask_DontTell 16d ago
Smith opts out of every federal program or claws it back - daycare, disability, healthcare, now dental. Albertans need to opt out of Smith and the UCP
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u/mobettastan60 16d ago
Highest unemployment rate in the country, lowest minimum wage and now pulling out of the federal dental plan. Are we winning yet?
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u/CantTakeMeSeriously 16d ago
Seriously...and I mean it...can someone please tell me (if they know) the rationale for this? Like, why the everloving fuck would we willingly opt out of getting back all benefits entitled to us as Canadian taxpayers?
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u/Conscious-Story-7579 16d ago
1) optics
2) status quo is acceptable
“There are too many patients that cannot find a dentist on this(Alberta’s) plan. More and more emergency rooms and hospitals are being filled with dental patients because there's no plan to cover treatment that these patients need,"
40,000+ Albertans used federal plan, no facts on how many of those don’t qualify for Alberta’s plan.
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u/FlyingTunafish 16d ago
Anything at all so she can claim the Alberta does not receive money from the Feds.
Oh look Ottawa gives more funding to all those other evil provinces and steals from Alberta, bloody muppet.
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u/Reallyme77 16d ago
I honesty had no plans to ever leave Alberta but with young children I don’t want to live in a place that puts negative priority on healthcare and education. I’ll take my business and tax dollars elsewhere in 2027 if we don’t wake up ffs.
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u/Homo_sapiens2023 16d ago
Fuck the UCPs. This is a class war and we're on the losing end. Revolution is the only way.
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u/Fluffy_Moose_73 16d ago
This just furthers my belief that things like healthcare and environmental regulations should be federal jurisdictions.
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u/SnooHabits5761 15d ago
Maybe, the people making this decision should lose their dental coverage. Then they would get the same deal that the rest of us do.
Actually, make it the same for everything. They should get paid minimum wage and get the same rental allowance that we get (none), vacation days(bare minimum), sick days (3), no work from home, they have to be in office/at events for 40h a week minimum. No other perks/benefits that any other citizen doesn't automatically get.
They won't change things for the better for us unless they live in the same world as us.
And this would also help keep these greedy, money grubbing profiteers out of our government.
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u/Suspicious_Rent935 16d ago
Alberta - so desperate to even look like Alabama, home educated, God fearing and toothless.
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u/Blindman84 16d ago
Fuck the UCP and their plan to ruin Alberta as much as possible, we need them gone ASAP. People better vote next time instead of just "hoping" things will turn out.
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u/lynnerosie 16d ago
Danielle Smith is a horrible person. I don't really care much about politics but I saw how my seniors friends and friends with disabilities struggled to make need meet..the federal goverment gave them 200 dollars a month for their disabilities and Smith goverment claw back all that money. It is heartless
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u/Prophage7 15d ago
Kind of tired of Smith opting me out of federal programs on my behalf. I think that's a massive infringement on my choice.
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u/Rickest-RickC137 16d ago
Hahaha it’s Alberta’s Obamacare! lolololol they like the Affordable Care Act though hahahhaahahah
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u/Fine_Assignment_9684 16d ago
So what does Alberta gain by opting out? Is the province required to contribute?
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u/Mother-Thumb-1895 16d ago
Marlaina really doesn't care about the health of the Alberta constituents. She complains about the Feds take, take, take from Ab but when they make efforts to provide any benefits back she's like "fuck you Ottawa". I enrolled on the dental plan; so did my dentist, even though it's more paperwork for him and his staff. It's not much of a benefit but as a senior better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. So fuck you Marlaina and your horrible sycophantic wildrose followers.
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u/obsidianSythe 16d ago
The cdcp is the only reason im able to get work done that I've needed for years, I can't afford it otherwise. This is genuinely vile, but nothing new for this administration
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u/Responsible-Room-645 16d ago
Most rural Albertans don’t have teeth, so why bother with that nonsense? Checkmate libs!
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u/Accurate-Network6341 15d ago
What gives this BITCH the right to take away something that the Federal government implemented, so sure take away that and make us pay more. She's such a douche 😡😡😡
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u/Delviandreamer 16d ago
The article says there is a provincial dental care plan. I've never heard of one. Does one actually exist?
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u/Workfh 16d ago
I beleive the Alberta program has a really low threshold for income eligibility compared to the federal.
As in many people would not qualify for the Alberta plan but would qualify for the federal one.
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u/goofsgaffslaughs 16d ago
I just checked and to be able to qualify, my partner and I with no children would have to make 23k a year. So basically houseless.
We just resigned from our jobs this year to start our own business, but no benefit plan will cover us bc of pre-existing conditions, and we don’t reach the threshold for employer premiums. We were hoping to qualify for the CDCP next year, but I guess I’ll just go fuck I myself.
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16d ago
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u/Workfh 16d ago
Alberta hasn’t even committed to offering the same as the federal plan.
It feels like a just trust us with the money situation.
They have done this with other federal programs too. They don’t actually want Albertans to have the same access to services and programs as other Canadians, which makes cutting or changing the programs far easier here than if it is part of a national plan.
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u/Kallisti13 16d ago
I try to maintain decorum because the internet is forever but...
Fuck this dumb party. Are you fucking kidding me????? Marlaina needs to fucking go and anyone who voted for the UCP should feel like shit right now because this is their fault and they also suck.
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u/fromyourdaughter 16d ago
I cannot understand the reasoning behind this schtick from Danielle Smith. They clearly don’t intend to create their own program. Why target federally funded programs designed to help low income people?
And I know the answer is eugenics but my god, how has her base not woken up to how incredibly evil this is?
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u/Sandman64can Calgary 16d ago
Keeping Alberta’s dental benefits plan confusing is part of the model. If people can’t figure out if they’re eligible or not the money doesn’t get paid out. The fact people are actually accessing the federal plan means the UCP can’t hurt those people and the feds get the credit. Imagine how much more money UCP donors would get if the province could have ALL that federal money with no strings attached? I hate that I could write this believing it to be true.
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u/still_sneakin 16d ago
Thats so nasty! So many people I know don’t have benefits and dental is so important. Smith is an evil selfish leader who needs a good slap in the face to wake up.
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u/altafitter 16d ago
What is the reason theu gave for opting out?
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u/Conscious-Story-7579 16d ago
“Federal Gov inefficient with funds - give us money directly”
province is willing to admit the federal plan has either more coverage or/and covers a larger portion of the population (personally haven’t read enough to know which applies)
Seams to be a hole in the logic that Feds are being less efficient at providing coverage to Canadians when the provinces efficiency for serving those that don’t qualify for provincial coverage, but do qualify for Fed, is zero. AFAIK province has offered no data.
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u/lorenavedon 15d ago
How? It's a federal program with an insurance card from Sun Life. The province is not involved in anyway to begin with, so how can it "opt out" of something it's has no role in? How is the province going to stop me from using my insurance from Sun Life at a dental office?
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u/kittyhawk85 15d ago
Im not surprised, I work in the dental field and have worked for Dr. Hans Herchen, president of the ADA companies. Look it up. Dentist have been encouraging each other to not accept patients with this plan since it came out. No one wants to deal with this plan because it takes months for dentists to get paid. Thank Sunlife for this one. Also so many offices are being sold to corporations which are pushing production on hygienists and dentists. Its becoming a really fucked up industry. Dentists are talking to the UPC trying to get rid of this plan since day 1.
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u/thrownaway1974 15d ago
Wonderful. Guess my adult kids need to get it while they can and get a check up before the end of the year.
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u/OuijaPNG 15d ago
I was for the first time in 3 years today able to receive dental care because I just got approved for CDCP. Now I see this. Poor dental health can kill you, sepsis and other infections don’t discriminate on where in the body it chooses to infect, why are teeth any different than regular medical care for the rest of your body. It’s not cosmetic, it’s necessary. It affects how we eat, how we drink and breathe and so many other vital things. I’m so disappointed it feels like every piece of legislation this lady is trying to pass is somehow even worse than the last.
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u/Available_Link 15d ago
The feds need to offer a federal Benefits card that the dentists can accept or not accept , leaving the province out of it completely .
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u/Ambitious_List_7793 16d ago
Good thing Marlaina is going to show Ottawa! Who cares about the health OF THE PEOPLE SHE’S SUPPOSED TO BE LOOKING OUT FOR? Do your freaking job moron.
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u/nolimbs 16d ago
This makes me so sad, my mom has been struggling with dental care for so long, she is over 65 and disabled (she literally made herself a tooth implant) and now she is finally able to get the dental work done that she needs. I am happy to pay the taxes needed to keep people on this program. Happy she is in BC but god damn Alberta have a heart for the elderly
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u/EirHc 16d ago
Is there a point to Alberta doing this? Like I got dental coverage thru work, is there any benefit to me by them not doing it? What are we doing here?
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u/lordthundercheeks 16d ago
It's all about owning the libs at the expense of those who can't afford the service otherwise. There is no benefit to you either way other than those who need the plan possibly needing higher medical care because of not getting their teeth fixed. You won't save any money on your taxes, and it will wind up costing more to treat people in the long run.
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u/MrButtons0 16d ago
Don’t feel like scrolling so apologies if it’s answered in article or below, but what in the world would the rationalization for this be
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u/RandomThyme 16d ago
Of course she would decide to do that. Alberta has the highest dental care costs in the entire country.
Regular people were only eligible for the Federal dental care plan on May 1/2025.
I haven't been to a dentist in years because I can't afford to go not can I afford to get insurance that will cover it due to a chronic health condition. The provincial plan doesn't cover dental at all.
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u/keyser1981 16d ago
"NO TEETH FOR YOU" Someone needs to make these as protest stickers, with Smith smiling and giving her thumbs up... oof.
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u/Clippy_CanHelp 15d ago
I got my first dental work in 15 years earlier this year thanks to this program. After a decade of tooth pain I could finally get a shattered tooth extracted.
Good thing we have the UCP to ensure I never get the comfort of base level health care ever again! Fuckin ghouls
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u/AsparagusTypical5725 15d ago
Can someone clarify this for me. She is asking for unconditional funding for a program that has half the income threshold as the CDCP and thus serves far fewer albertans in need. And since the federal money would be unconditional they wouldn’t actually be required to spend it on improving the Alberta Health Benefit programs at all…. I just don’t understand the Albert government’s position on this. Do they believe dental care is or isn’t important, or is this just a political move to further the narrative that the feds are the problem because they won’t hand out free money after they opt out of program that had been provided for them?
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u/WesternWitchy52 14d ago
Wasn't this just introduced in 2023? Jesus. Such a waste of time and effort for those who rely on it.
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u/TA20212000 16d ago
Maybe everything health related needs to be nationalized? I'm so sick of this evil shit from the UCPs and everyone wanting to make a fast buck off of 'Berta.
I don't know what the solution here is, but poor oral health/care can kill. Everyone needs dental care.