I read with interest your editorial on the federal dental plan and would like to add a recent experience I had which is laid out in a recent email to the government (still waiting for a reply).
Last year, I enrolled as a low-income senior in the Canada Dental Plan, and was informed my coverage went to June 30, 2025. I went to a scheduled appointment on June 6, expecting it to be covered by last year's plan. I renewed online before the required June 1 deadline and received a letter dated May 15, that slashed my coverage to the lowest level starting June 1, 2025, giving me a bill of $375.04 for services I expected to be covered at the highest level as covered under last year's plan.
I went looking for the legislation but found no useful references other than in the child dental program that showed renewal on July 1, 2023 and ending on June 30, 2024. The seniors program renews from June 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026, I believe it should have been July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026. I was caught in a major rate downgrade and left with an unexpected bill, and I am sure a lot of other seniors may be experiencing the same issue. This could be a simple clerical issue, and I wonder if my cost of today's visit should have been covered as stated in last year's plan.
Robert Nowland
Saanich
