Seniors unclear on whether they can drop their private dental insurance for national plan

Eligible seniors are now receiving letters inviting them to sign up for Canada's $13 billion national dental care plan — but there's a catch.

Those who currently have private dental insurance do not qualify for the national plan.

And according to a government website explaining the plan, anyone who opts out of "available benefits" is "still considered to have access to dental insurance."

That seems to mean that switching from a private plan to the public plan isn't permitted. But the federal health minister's office has yet to clarify the rule.

The uncertainty has seniors with minimal private dental coverage, or those who purchased plans themselves, wondering whether they're being left behind.

"There's double standards," said 71-year old Richard McDonald-Donaldson, who has been paying $180 a month for a private insurance plan he purchased.

Starting in May, Canadian residents 65 and older in households that make under $90,000 annually will be able to get some or all of their routine dentistry paid for through the Canadian Dental Care Plan. Work like scalings, fillings, root canals and dentures will be covered.

But you can't qualify for the new national plan if you have existing private dental care insurance through your employer, your pension or any other organization, or through a plan you've purchased yourself.

"I thought, well, maybe I'll just drop my dental plan. It costs me a fortune. And then I'll qualify," McDonald-Donaldson said. "But apparently not so."

McDonald-Donaldson said it doesn't feel right that seniors like him should be compelled to go on paying for private coverage.

"The rules seem to prejudice the guy that went and made the effort to try and buy his own insurance to save a bit of problems later on with his teeth," he said.

"There's something wrong with that system."

CBC News has heard from many seniors wondering what would happen if they left their existing dental plans and sought to join the public one.

CBC News asked Health Canada and the office of Health Minister Mark Holland to explain how dropping out of an existing private insurance plan would affect an individual's eligibility for the national dental care plan, but did not receive a response.