More than half of Canadians skipping health care such as dental, survey suggests

Amina Zafar · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 03, 2025 7:16 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

As the Canadian Dental Care Plan expands this week to see each eligible property groups, 35 per cent of Canadians study they've skipped oregon reduced dental visits, a caller survey suggests. Dental attraction was the astir commonly delayed wellness service, according to the survey released Tuesday.

The Canadian integer security institution PolicyMe carried retired the online survey of 1,500 adults successful concern with the Angus Reid Institute from May 9-12.

More than fractional of Canadians (56 per cent) said they're delaying wellness appointments owed to costs, with immoderate skipping appointments.

"They're skipping arsenic a effect of cost," said Andrew Ostro, CEO and co-founder of PolicyMe successful Toronto.

Young adults aged 18 to 34 were the astir affected of respondents, according to the survey, with 66 per cent saying they were delaying wellness attraction compared with 58 per cent among those aged 35 to 54.

WATCH | Canada's dental attraction sum rolls out: 

Dr. Paul Allison, a prof astatine McGill University's dental faculty, said since younger adults arsenic a radical thin to beryllium healthier than older adults, wellness generally, arsenic good arsenic oral wellness care, whitethorn not beryllium arsenic precocious connected their database of priorities arsenic older adults.

About 47 per cent of Canadians aged 55 oregon older successful the survey said they besides delayed wellness care.

Cost of care

Verlaj Bains, 27, of Toronto, tin subordinate to the survey's findings. About 18 months ago, helium started to person sensitivity successful his little teeth erstwhile drinking acold beverages. He had immoderate dental sum astatine the clip and went for an assessment.

"They had to bash the afloat bony replacement and it would person been similar $3,000," Bains said. "I did not person that money."

In Canada, leader sum makes up the bulk of the mode radical are insured, Ostro said.

About 60 per cent of each backstage dental attraction expenditures successful 2015 originated from backstage security sources, while the remainder was paid for retired of pocket, according to the Canadian Dental Association.

Out-of-pocket costs include co-pays wherever security companies wage from 50 per cent to 90 per cent, deductibles connected the archetypal fewer 100 dollars worthy of services that patients request to screen and gaps successful what companies reimburse, Ostro said.

In presumption of generations successful the survey, 20 per cent of Gen Zers and 21 per cent of babe boomers said they're uninsured, suggesting that some instability aboriginal successful careers arsenic good arsenic status gaps permission radical unprotected, PolicyMe said. Among Canadians aged 55 and older, 21 per cent reported having nary wellness oregon dental coverage.

At the aforesaid time, Gen Z is aging retired of parental plans and entering a workforce that often lacks accepted benefits.

Dr. Carlos Quiñonez, a dental prof astatine Western University, said the summation successful gig enactment could besides beryllium contributing to radical stalling connected seeking wellness care.

"We extremity up treating a batch of radical that acquisition fiscal difficulties successful accessing care, and that's wherefore they travel to dental schools to entree low-cost care," said Quiñonez, who antecedently tapped into backing from different insurer, Green Shield Canada, to found a free dental clinic astatine the University of Toronto.

For Bains, outgo is the main issue. The kinesiology pupil said he's decidedly funny successful the national dental attraction plan, fixed his lingering sensitivity.

"There's nary pain, but it could beryllium worse, truthful I decidedly request to get connected it."

Impact of the CDCP

As of this week, each remaining adults successful Canada aged 18 to 64 are eligible for nationalist sum done the nationalist Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP), if they're not covered done different plan, specified arsenic employment oregon retiree benefits, a household member's oregon a provincial plan.

The national authorities said it expects the program to marque the outgo of dental attraction much affordable for up to 9 cardinal Canadian residents, and 4 cardinal person been approved truthful far. In the caller survey, astir 11 per cent of Canadians reported relying connected the CDCP truthful far.

"There were a batch of radical successful the mediate income groups who astir apt don't suffice for the CDCP, but inactive find it rather hard to wage for dental care," Allison said.

Beyond cost, determination are besides problems successful presumption of clip and geographic entree to dental care, Allison said.

Criteria to suffice for CDCP include that you and your spouse/common-law-partner (if applicable) indispensable person filed your taxation returns successful Canada and your adjusted household nett income needs to beryllium little than $90,000. 

More broadly successful the survey, astir 36 per cent of Canadians said they're acrophobic their employer-provided security sum could beryllium reduced oregon eliminated amid ongoing economical instability, with interest the highest successful B.C.

While 71 per cent of uninsured Canadians study cutting backmost connected care, adjacent 52 per cent of insured Canadians accidental they've delayed oregon missed appointments for fiscal reasons.