Cowichan Bay鈥檚 Evan and Patty Begbie feel deceived by the federal government over its new Canadian Dental Care Plan, which launched last May.
Evan retired from Telus as a technician in 2013 and considered opting in to the company鈥檚 employee pension plan dental coverage, but the company plan was very expensive and the couple concluded that, with the deductibles, it would cost them more than they would be paying without the employee plan so they didn鈥檛 sign up for it.
Evan said he has since had to get some expensive dental work done that he paid for, so the couple were pleased when the government announced a few years ago that it would soon introduce the new Canadian Dental Care Plan, which would see uninsured Canadians aged 65 and older with an annual household income less than $90,000 provided with dental care.
When the CDCP finally became available to senior Canadians, the Begbies enthusiastically applied for coverage and they were approved as they fit the criteria. It had been 13 years since Patty had been to a dentist and both needed at least a check up, so they were more than happy to have some work done under their new dental plan.
鈥淲e thought we were well on our way to good dental health care under the government's new plan without paying a small fortune,鈥� Evan said.
Patty added that it鈥檚 a well known medical fact that good dental hygiene goes hand-in-hand with a person鈥檚 good overall health.
But since then the Begbies have been informed by the government that, because they had access to his pension-sponsored plan at Telus, they are no longer eligible for the CDCP, even though they decided not to sign for the company plan 11 years ago due to its expense.
One of the other criteria of the CDCP that has come to light that really baffles Evan is to be eligible for the CDCP, applicants are also not to have access to private dental insurance.
鈥淎lmost everybody can get private dental insurance if they are willing to pay for it,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a big loophole and there are millions of senior Canadians in our position. It seems the government and their promise of seniors' dental coverage is a joke and a fraudulent promise with a blanket eligibility that excludes many, many people from affordable dental care.鈥�
A statement from Health Canada said that to be eligible for the CDCP, applicants must meet the four eligibility criteria which includes attesting to not having access to any type of private-dental insurance, and that eligibility of individuals covered under the plan is reassessed annually through the renewal process, and all four eligibility criteria must continue to be met.
Health Canada said that, as a retiree, if applicants have access to dental insurance through their pension plan, whether they agreed to take it or not, they are considered to have access to dental insurance and therefore cannot qualify for the CDCP. It does not matter how prohibitively expensive that plan may be.
鈥淭he only exception is if a retired person opted out of pension benefits before Dec. 11, 2023, the date when the CDCP was launched, and cannot opt back in per their pension rules,鈥� the statement said.
鈥淎nyone who purchased private insurance coverage that is still valid at the time of application is ineligible for coverage under the CDCP. All applicants to the CDCP should exercise caution and confirm the coverage end date of their privately purchased policies before submitting a CDCP application, as they are not eligible for the CDCP while private coverage is in effect. Anyone considering cancelling an existing privately purchased policy should be mindful that the CDCP is designed to reimburse a percentage of the cost of dental care services, based on established CDCP fees.鈥�
Health Canada said the federal government has determined the eligibility criteria for the CDCP with the intention of helping as many Canadian residents as possible access oral health care, while also ensuring the sound stewardship of public funds.
More information on the CDCP can be found at .
