Expert flags potential for dental care clawbacks as result of federal program

A University of Calgary economist warns a new federal dental benefit for children could open families up to the potential for "clawbacks" on unspent funds for kids' teeth.

A University of Calgary economist warns a new federal dental benefit for children could open families up to the potential for “clawbacks” if they don’t spend all the money on their kids’ teeth.

The government plans to offer cheques of up to $650 to qualifying low- and middle-income families with children under the age of 12 to help pay for their dental needs.

The program has some similarities to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, which saw the federal government pay out roughly $82 billion to workers who lost their jobs during the pandemic.

The government faced an onslaught of criticism from opposition parties when some Canadians unexpectedly had to pay back thousands of dollars because they were given more than they qualified for.

The dental-care benefit has many of the same faults, said Lindsay Tedds, an associate professor of economics, and will likely result in similar clawbacks.

“This is going to happen. They’re setting it up to happen,” Tedds said in an interview.

The program is open to families with a household income of less than $90,000.

Qualifying families will have to attest that they don’t have private insurance, that they have out-of-pocket dental expenses and that they will keep their receipts.