Premier Danielle Smith in her letter acknowledges the CDCP has led to more Albertans becoming eligible for coverage under the new federal plan.

Take individuals seeking coverage under the Alberta Adult Health benefit, for example. To qualify, a couple with four children would have to see a maximum net household income of $46,932.

"I think [$46,932] is really low for a threshold," said Ameera Shivji with Vibrant Communities Calgary, a poverty reduction organization.

"That [$46,932] doesn't cover a lot of people that would be in real need for this program."

Given the CDCP's $90,000 adjusted family net income threshold, more families would be captured above the Alberta Adult Health benefit's cutoff.