Canadian Dental Care Benefit

Click here for information on the Interim Dental Care Benefit for children under 18 that is available now

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Please note, as of the date listed on the bottom of this page, we are not accepting this plan. We will update this page if this policy changes. For more general information regarding the plan, please keep reading. Thank you.

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We have been getting a lot of questions lately regarding the new Canada Dental Care Benefit (“CDCB”). Unfortunately, at this time, we, as dental providers, do not know very much. In fact, we know little more than what has been made publicly available and most of the additional information we have is mostly administrative related.

 

We do know, however, that the plan will not cover as much as the public is being told. The Government of Canada is marketing the program as “free dental care” but this is, in fact, not the case. We, as most dentists, bill based on the current years’ Standard Dental Fee Guide that is put out by the British Columbia Dental Association every February 1st. The CDCB will release their own fee guide over the coming months. They have announced that BC will be the last to receive a fee guide and that we will not see anything until sometime in May. While we don’t know exactly how much the fees will be, we know they will be significantly lower than the standard fees that we bill – roughly 40%-80% lower than the BC standard. We also know that around 78% of BC dentists plan to bill “at par”. This means, even if you are eligible for 100% covered, you will, likely, still have a co-pay. (i.e., if your bill is $100, and you are covered at 100%, you will still need to pay roughly $40-$80, depending what type of treatment was done). We will not be allowed to “write off” the co-pay as that will reduce the patient’s overall coverage.

 

Generally speaking, coverage is as follows:

Based on adjusted family net income

• Under $70,000/year will be covered at %100 of the CDCB Fee Guide

• $70,000-$79,999/year will be covered at 60% of the CDCB Fee Guide

• $80,000-$89,999/year will be covered at 40% of the CDCB Fee Guide

 

Please note that Coquitlam Centre Dental Clinic will be billing at par so, no matter your eligibility, patients will always have a co-pay.

 

You will be notified that you can apply as follows:

*If you have not heard anything and think that you should have based on your age group, please contact the Government of Canada directly

• 87 and up – December 2023

• 77 to 86 – January 2024

• 72 to 76 – February 2024

• 70 to 71 – March 2024

• 65 to 69 – May 2024

• Persons with valid Disability Tax Credit certificate – June 2024

• Children under 18 – June 2024 (please see the Interim Dental Care Benefit for more information on coverage that is available for children now)

• All remaining Canadians – Starting 2025

 

We do not yet know if there is a yearly dollar maximum associated with the plan.

 

We do not know if we will be able to bill this plan in coordination with the Provincial dental plan for people receiving social services.

 

Canadians with private dental plans will not be eligible for this plan. We advise that patients DO NOT get rid of their private, work or pension dental plans for the time being. If your employer is considering getting rid of your office’s dental plan, urge them to wait until all information is available before making the decision.

 

Dentists need to “sign up” in order to be able to bill under this plan. Around 30% of dentists in BC do not plan on signing up. Additionally, the BC Dental Association is urging dentist not to sign up at this time (we are able to sign up as of March 11) so that they can use lack of engagement as a bargaining tool to improve the quality of the plan.

 

Patients will not be able to be reimbursed directly for this plan. Dentists have to be paid directly. Almost everything on the plan will need to be pre-approved. While all of this may seem positive at first glance, this will create an immense administrative burden on clinic staff. Most clinics will likely need to hire at least 1-2 extra receptionists to handle the management of this plan alone which could drive prices of dentistry up even more.

 

We will update this page as more becomes available. If you have any questions, please email our office coordinator, Kirsten, at kirsten@coquitlamcentredental.com with the subject line “CDCB Questions” and she will try her best to provide answers.

 

Yours sincerely,

The CCDC Team

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Interim Dental Care Benefit

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How does it work?

Parents need to have filled their tax returns for the previous fiscal year in order to be eligible.

Patients are required to pay for their treatment up front. Your dental receptionist will supply you with a receipt which you will submit to the CRA for reimbursement.

 

Who is eligible?

Children 12 years old and under who are not covered on a private dental plan such as their parent's benefits through work.

 

What about children aged 13 to 18?

The Government of Canada will be covering children in this age bracket next. That program is slated to start by the end of 2023.

 

What about seniors? People with disabilities?

That program is slated to start by the end of 2023.

 

How much coverage do I get?

Coverage is based on your net household income.

Under $70,000 - $650 per child per period (please see below for information on periods)

$70,000 to $80,000 - $390 per child per period

$80,000 to $90,000 - $290 per child per period

**eligible benefit is half if custody of the child is shared**

 

What are the coverage periods?

First period: October 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023

Second period: July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024

**As this is only an interim program, a more comprehensive program will commence in June 2024. We do not have any information about this future program at this time.**

 

How do I know if I am covered?

You will need to apply. You will also need to have filed your previous years' taxes.

 

How do I apply?

You can apply online using your MyCRA account.

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If you have any questions or want to know more information, we encourage you to click this link above or visit www.Canada.ca to learn more.

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We will update this page as more information becomes available.

Last Update: Monday, March 11, 2024