Government Announces Plans for Expanded Dental Insurance Coverage for Children, Seniors, and People with Disabilities

Details of the insurance plan are expected to be announced this fall, with the goal of eventually offering dental benefits to eligible children under 18, seniors and people with disabilities.

The Liberals promised in their subsidies and confidence agreement with the New Democratic Party (NDP) that dental insurance would finally be offered to all people whose family income is less than $90,000 per year, by the end of 2024.

Disability Without Poverty National Director Rabia Khedr says the government generally relies on the list of people eligible for the Disability Tax Credit to determine who should benefit from other disability-related programs .

The problem is that many people with disabilities have such low incomes that they don’t file their taxes, and the tax credit application process is difficult to follow and sometimes expensive.

NDP health critic Don Davies says ideally anyone falling below the income threshold and receiving provincial disability assistance would be eligible, but it would be difficult to create a system to allow that in just a year.

Since everyone who meets the income requirements would be eligible for the dental plan by the end of next year, the problem has a short lifespan, Mr. Davies says.