{"id":10953,"date":"2023-10-03T08:23:22","date_gmt":"2023-10-03T13:23:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unesen.ca\/press\/?p=10953"},"modified":"2023-10-03T08:23:24","modified_gmt":"2023-10-03T13:23:24","slug":"faq-public-service-health-care-plan-canada-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unesen.ca\/press\/?p=10953","title":{"rendered":"FAQ: Public Service Health Care Plan & Canada Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Did PSAC negotiate this change to move to Canada Life?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This change was initiated and operationalized by the employer and was not part of PSAC and other unions\u2019 negotiations on a new health care plan. It also does not impact\u00a0the improvements<\/a>\u00a0PSAC secured.\u00a0
\u00a0
The employer transferred the Public Service Health Care Plan provider contract from Sun Life to Canada Life as part of a separate procurement process, resulting in changes for nearly 1.5 million federal public service workers, retirees, and their dependents.\u00a0
\u00a0
The Government of Canada made the decision to transition to Canada Life, and it is their responsibility to hold Canada Life accountable for the many problems that members are facing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I can\u2019t get in touch with Canada Life. What should I do?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Customer service wait times remain too long, and too many calls remain unanswered. This poorly managed transition prevents our members from fully taking advantage of their benefits\u00a0
Unfortunately, the only available option is to keep trying until you are connected to a Canada Life agent.\u00a0
\u00a0
Before the move to Canada Life, PSAC provided the government with recommendations for a smooth transition for plan members, including for Canada Life to hire additional staff and increase its call centre capacity.\u00a0 \u00a0
\u00a0
PSAC has also requested a meeting with Treasury Board President Anita Anand to discuss how the delivery of benefits can be improved for plan members as soon as possible. \u00a0
\u00a0
While the contract for administering benefits is held by the employer, PSAC will continue to push the employer and Canada Life to improve conditions.\u00a0
\u00a0
Members can add additional pressure on the Liberal government by contacting their MP directly to share their frustrations and call for accountability on the Canada Life rollout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why are wait times so long with Canada Life?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Canada Life has not been able to keep up with the influx of new members, retirees, and dependents that they now administer, and it is having a significant impact on people who depend on these benefits for their health and drug coverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is PSAC doing to improve this situation?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the move to Canada Life, PSAC provided the government with recommendations for a smooth transition for plan members, including for Canada Life to hire additional staff and increase its call centre capacity.\u00a0 \u00a0
\u00a0
PSAC has also requested a meeting with Treasury Board President Anita Anand to discuss how the delivery of benefits can be improved for plan members as soon as possible. \u00a0
\u00a0
While the contract for administering benefits is held by the employer, PSAC will continue to pressure the employer and Canada Life to improve conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of my recent claims was denied by Canada Life, even though similar claims were granted under Sun Life. Has the plan changed?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The vast majority of benefits you previously received should be the same or improved after PSAC negotiated\u00a0various improvements<\/a>\u00a0to the plan. If you feel your claim was wrongfully denied, please\u00a0contact Canada Life<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0submit an appeal<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can I appeal if my health care claim was denied?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visit the Public Service Health Care Plan Administration Authority\u2019s website for information on\u00a0how to submit an appeal<\/a>.\u00a0
\u00a0
Prior to submitting an appeal, you should make every effort to resolve the issue\u00a0with Canada Life<\/a>. Appeals related to denied claims must be submitted within 12 months of the date of your claim statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What about the dental plan?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Public Service Dental Care Plan<\/a>, which is currently being re-negotiated<\/a> for over 185,000 federal public service workers, continues to be administered by the Canada Life Assurance Company.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Did PSAC negotiate this change to move to Canada Life? This change was initiated and operationalized by the employer and was not part of PSAC and other unions\u2019 negotiations on a new health care plan. It also does not impact\u00a0the improvements\u00a0PSAC secured.\u00a0\u00a0The employer transferred the Public Service Health Care Plan provider contract from Sun Life … <\/p>\n

>> “FAQ: Public Service Health Care Plan & Canada Life”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2,12,19],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unesen.ca\/press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10953"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unesen.ca\/press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unesen.ca\/press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unesen.ca\/press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unesen.ca\/press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10953"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.unesen.ca\/press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10953\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10955,"href":"https:\/\/www.unesen.ca\/press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10953\/revisions\/10955"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unesen.ca\/press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unesen.ca\/press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10953"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unesen.ca\/press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}