Reviewed May 11, 2026 · Health and dental plans for Canadians outside Quebec.
Children are wonderful and expensive in small, steady ways — a prescription here, a new pair of glasses there, a filling, and eventually, for many families, braces. Provincial health plans cover almost none of it. Here is how family health and dental coverage works, and how to build a plan that fits your household without paying for benefits you will never use.
Is this you?
- You just had a child, or your family grew, and you are thinking about coverage for the first time.
- You left a job and your family lost the group benefits that came with it.
- You are self-employed and want one plan that covers the whole household.
- The orthodontist mentioned braces and you are wondering what a plan would actually pay.
If any of these fit, keep reading.
What provincial health plans leave to families
Across Canada, provincial and territorial plans pay for children's doctor visits and hospital care. What they generally do not cover for the average family is routine dental, prescription drugs picked up at the pharmacy, and glasses. There are meaningful exceptions — several provinces run public dental or drug programs for children, often income-tested, and the federal Canadian Dental Care Plan helps eligible families who have no access to private dental coverage. Families who do not qualify for those programs usually turn to a private health and dental plan to cover the everyday gaps.
How family coverage is built
Most individual health and dental plans let you put a spouse or partner and your dependent children on a single policy. A few things to understand:
- Dependent age limits. Children are covered as dependents up to a set age, commonly extended while they are full-time students. The exact cutoffs vary, so check them.
- Shared maximums. Benefit tiers often have annual maximums that apply per person or across the family — worth knowing before you assume a limit is bigger than it is.
- Per-person value. Adding people raises the premium, but the per-person cost of a family plan is frequently lower than insuring everyone separately.
The benefits families use most
Every household is different, but a few tiers do the heavy lifting for most families:
- Prescription drugs. The most common recurring claim. Look at both the reimbursement percentage and the annual maximum.
- Dental. Cleanings, checkups, and the inevitable filling. Preventive care is usually reimbursed most generously.
- Vision. Eye exams, glasses, and contacts for growing kids who seem to need new frames every year.
- Paramedical. Physiotherapy, and often mental-health counselling — increasingly something families want covered.
The braces question
Orthodontics deserves its own paragraph because it surprises people. Braces are almost always a separate tier with a lifetime maximum, a waiting period, and often a lower reimbursement percentage — and many family plans include no orthodontic coverage at all. If braces are a realistic prospect in your household, do not assume a dental plan covers them. Look specifically for an orthodontic benefit and read its lifetime limit and waiting period, because those two numbers decide how much it actually helps when the time comes.
Right-size the plan to your family
The most common mistake is buying on feature count instead of fit. Start from how your family actually uses care:
- Regular medication in the house? Weight the drug tier and its maximum.
- Kids due for cleanings and fillings? Weight the dental percentages and maximum.
- New glasses every year? Check the vision benefit.
- Braces on the horizon? Insist on an orthodontic tier and read its limits.
A plan matched to your real pattern of costs beats a longer list of benefits you will never claim.
Family plan or separate policies?
Usually a family or couple plan costs less than the sum of separate individual policies, and it is simpler — one premium, one renewal, one set of maximums. The exception is when one family member's needs are very different from everyone else's; in that case it is worth comparing a family plan against separate coverage to see which is genuinely cheaper for you.
See what fits your household
The right family plan is the one shaped to how your family actually lives. You can compare plans for your province and family size in about two minutes, with dental, drug, vision, and orthodontic tiers laid out side by side — and no contact information needed to view prices.
Get Health Coverage is an independent comparison platform. We do not sell insurance and take no commission — plans are ranked by price. Availability and rates are set by each carrier and confirmed at application. Coverage is available in every province and territory except Quebec.
Frequently asked questions
Does provincial health insurance cover children's dental and prescriptions?
Mostly no, though there are important exceptions. Provincial and territorial plans cover doctor and hospital care for children, but routine dental, prescription drugs filled at a pharmacy, and glasses are generally not included for the average family. Several provinces run targeted public programs for children's dental or drugs, often income-based, and the federal Canadian Dental Care Plan helps eligible families with no access to private dental coverage. Families who do not qualify for those programs typically use a private health and dental plan.
How does adding children to a family plan work?
Most individual health and dental plans let you cover a spouse or partner and dependent children under one policy. Children are usually covered as dependents up to a set age, often extended if they are full-time students. Adding children raises the premium, but the per-person cost of family coverage is frequently lower than insuring everyone separately. Check the dependent age limits and student extension rules when you compare, since they vary by plan.
Does family dental insurance cover braces?
Sometimes, but not automatically. Orthodontics is almost always a separate tier with its own lifetime maximum, a waiting period, and often a lower reimbursement percentage. Plenty of family plans include no orthodontic coverage at all. If braces are likely in your household's future, look specifically for a plan with an orthodontic benefit and check its lifetime limit and waiting period, because those details decide how much it actually helps.
What should families prioritize when choosing a plan?
Start with your family's real pattern of costs. If someone takes regular medication, prioritize the prescription drug tier and its annual maximum. If the kids need cleanings and the occasional filling, weight the dental percentages and maximum. If glasses or contacts are a recurring cost, check the vision benefit. Braces, if likely, mean looking for an orthodontic tier. Matching the plan to how your family actually uses care matters more than picking the plan with the longest feature list.
Is family coverage cheaper than insuring each person separately?
Often, yes. Family or couple rates usually cost less than the sum of separate individual policies, and a single plan is simpler to manage — one premium, one renewal, one set of benefit maximums. The trade-off is that everyone shares the plan's design, so if one family member has very different needs, it is worth comparing a family plan against separate coverage to see which genuinely costs less for your situation.