Alberta’s dentists are pressing the province to put dates on the table to pull out of the federal government’s dental care plan.
“We’ve had some good communication with the province, and that’s a helpful start, but now we’re looking for some answers on timelines,” said Dr. Hans Herchen, president of the Alberta Dental Association.
“We need a clear timeline as to when the premier is going to move forward on her commitment to opt out.”
In June 2024, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith sent a letter to then-prime minister Justin Trudeau, stating that the province intends to pull out of the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) by 2026.
“The new federal program is inferior, wasteful and infringes on provincial jurisdiction,” Smith wrote in June 2024.
“Therefore, I have sent this letter to our prime minister requesting our share of federal funding for this program be provided to our government so we can increase the number of Albertans able to access our provincial dental plan.”
Health Canada says Alberta provided formal notice of its desire to opt out in December 2024.
With less than four months to go until the start of the new year, the federal government says it has had “preliminary discussions” with Alberta about the plan and remains “open” to more formal discussions of an agreement.
“Timing of any potential opting out would be determined by the timing and specifics of discussions between governments, with a primary focus being on ensuring that current CDCP members maintain access to comparable coverage,” reads a statement from Health Canada.
The federal plan provides coverage for those without dental insurance and sets an adjusted family net income threshold at less than $90,000.
The federal government said as of July 31, more than 4.8 million Canadians had been approved for coverage for the 2025-26 benefit year, including 306,000 in Alberta. Nearly 50,000 Albertans have already received care, the statement reads.
Alberta’s Ministry of Primary and Preventative Health Services, meanwhile, wrote in a statement that the province “has consistently stated it intends to opt out of the Canadian Dental Care Plan and negotiate its share of unconditional federal funding to expand coverage to more low-income Albertans.”
The statement said the province “already provides the most extensive dental coverage in Canada, serving approximately 500,000 low-income Albertans.”
“While Alberta urged the federal government to work with provinces to improve existing dental coverage, the federal government chose to announce and implement a national program without consulting the provinces,” the statement reads.
“We will have more to share on this in the coming months.”
Alberta’s current plans
Alberta has a variety of provincial plans tied to dental care, including:
Who isn’t covered under those plans varies according to income thresholds set under each plan.
For instance, take the Alberta Adult Health Benefit, wherein a couple with four children can qualify for the benefit with a maximum net household income of $46,932.
The provincial government has previously said that specific details of expanding Alberta’s coverage would be confirmed through negotiations.
Programs are outdated and underfunded: ADA president
The Alberta Dental Association is seeking clarity around when formal negotiations will begin between the province and the federal government.
Herchen said provincial plans need an update as patients are being left behind.
“There are too many patients that cannot find a dentist on this plan. More and more emergency rooms and hospitals are being filled with dental patients because there’s no plan to cover treatment that these patients need,” he said.
We can no longer kick this can down the road.– Dr. Hans Herchen, president of the Alberta Dental Association
After negotiations begin, it would take some time to develop new plans, Herchen said.
He said dentists will be watching whether Alberta’s promised reforms match or exceed the federal plan. He added dentists have been raising certain issues for years that need resolution.
“Government needs to recognize that we can no longer kick this can down the road. Otherwise, the problems will get bigger and bigger.”
The federal government’s Canadian Dental Care Plan is set to expand next month to provide coverage for all ages, but Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has pledged to opt-out of the plan by 2026. In response, the Alberta Dental Association wants to help craft a made-in-Alberta plan to replace it. ADA president Dr. Hans Herchen joined Edmonton AM’s Mark Connolly to discuss the situation.
Concerns around accessibility
Fiona Clement, a professor in the department of community health sciences at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine, said her main concern around a potential opt-out has to do with accessibility of coverage.
“I would hope that the provincial government and the federal government are talking constructively about what this could look like,” Clement said.
“And, that before access to the Canadian Dental Care Plan is potentially stopped for Albertans, that a new solution is ready to go so that no individual Albertan gets caught by not having coverage.”
Clement noted that in Alberta, it can be confusing to navigate the benefits one has access to.
At the same time, the “fairly significant” number of Albertans who have accessed the CDCP suggests the program is filling a gap, she said.
“I’m very glad that the federal government is willing to talk to the province about: maybe there is a very different model that makes sense for Albertans and that could achieve more with the dollars that are being injected.”
