Economist: Removing CDCP’s $90K Income Threshold Could Help 4.4M Access Dental Care

The eligibility threshold for the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) is $90,000, and that’s problematic for David Macdonald, senior economist with the national office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

Macdonald suggests removing the $90,000 income threshold, as it is expected to prevent about 4.4 million people from accessing public dental care through the CDCP, according to the Canadian Health Coalition’s website, which cited him saying this during the June 20 “Canada Health Act at 40” Research Roundtable at the University of Ottawa.

“Think of a family with two earners making $45,000 each. Those folks are making $20 an hour. That’s not tremendous income in Canada, especially if you’re trying to raise kids,” he said. “A lot of folks are going to get squeezed out, not because they’re rich, but because they have a full-time job even if it’s not that well-paying.”

To read more about Macdonald’s argument, click here. 

Critics have previously said that the CDCP won’t cover everyone, including low-income Canadians, as not all dentists are onboard with the plan. However, to increase CDCP coverage, the government allowed dentists to help patients on a claim-by-claim basis without formally signing up, starting July 8.

So far, more than 2.1 million Canadians have been approved for CDCP, and approximately 250,000 patients have received care under the plan, according to Health Canada. Additionally, more than 12,000 providers had formally signed up through Sun Life as of July 11.