Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) starts rolling out in December 2023
GroupNews – December 2023
The Government of Canada has announced details for the roll-out of the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP). The CDCP is a new national program providing dental coverage to Canadian residents who do not have access to private dental insurance and whose annual net family income is less than $90,000.
The plan, first announced in the 2022 Federal Budget, will be rolled out starting in December for eligible seniors who are 87 years or older. Eligible seniors aged 77 to 86 may apply in January 2024, followed by those aged 72 to 76 in February 2024, then those aged 70 to 71 years in March 2024. Eligible people in these age groups will receive letters with instructions on how to apply for the program.
Starting May 2024, an online portal will be available for applications from seniors who are 65 or above. Online applications will also be accepted from people who have a Disability Tax Credit certificate and children who are below 18 years old, starting from June 2024. The online portal will be open for all other eligible Canadians in 2025.
Canadians who are enrolled in the CDCP will be able to start seeing an oral health provider as early as May 2024. A range of preventative, diagnostic, restorative, endodontic, prosthodontic, and other services are expected to be covered. A 40% co-payment will apply for family net incomes of between $70,000 and $79,999 and a 60% co-payment for those between $80,000 and $89,999.
Impact: Given the CDCP is not intended to be a replacement for existing dental benefits, we do not expect it to have an impact on private plan sponsors, at least until there is clarity around the extent of benefits covered. Plan sponsors who do not extend dental benefits, including healthcare spending accounts, to retired members may wish to communicate the details of this new plan to them.
If you would like a discussion on this or other issues impacting your group benefits plan, reach out to your Eckler consultant.
You can read more about the Canadian Dental Care Plan here.
This publication has been prepared by the GroupNews editorial board for general information and does not constitute professional advice. The information contained herein is based on currently available sources and analysis. The data used may be from third-party sources that Eckler has not independently verified, validated, or audited. They make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy of the information, nor whether it is suitable for the purposes to which it is put by users. The information is not intended to be taken as advice with respect to any individual situation and cannot be relied upon as such.