Good morning everyone. As you are well aware, the cooler weather is unfortunately upon us. Summer has come and gone, but it’s time to think about bundling up, and potentially going on a warm vacation to escape this transition of prairie grass to arctic tundra.

With the cooler weather and the beginning of the school year, you are bound to get sick. It’s not a matter of – if, it’s just a matter of – when. Health is something we take for granted until it is in question. Weather it is a slipped disc, kidney stone, cold & flu, broken bone or torn muscle. We don’t appreciate our health until it’s gone.

Therefore, we always recommend looking into your health benefits. Whether, it is through a work/group plan or by purchasing your own plan, health coverage needs to be a priority in your life. Some major checkpoints to review your plan would be:

Family Changes – Getting Married or having children are important times to review your health insurance policy. You will want to make sure all family members are added on the policy and that coverage is in place. When you have a child, you have 60 days with Blue Cross to simply phone into their call centre and add your child to your policy over the phone. If you miss that window, you can simply fill out a form to add your dependent to your policy.

Job Change – Switching roles or jobs can result in different benefits in your plan. It is important to make sure your coverage transfers and that you continue to be properly covered. Being on the payroll and then hired on as a contractor or consultant can change whether your are insured on their group plan or responsible for your own insurance policy. Please make sure you review these changes.

Retirement – Going along with the job change, when you retire, you will no longer be covered under your employer’s group policy. You will need to file for a individual plan for you and your family. Blue cross has a easy conversion calculator to see what your plan would cost with Blue Cross. You can access the quoting tool on our website here. Or go on blue cross site here.

Basic Health Plans generally include coverage for:

1. Ambulance
2. Hospital
3. Private Nursing
4. Accidental Dental
5. Medical Equipment
6. Hearing Aids
7. Prosthetic & Medical Appliances
8. Diabetic Supplies & Equipment
9. Orthopaedic Shoes & Supplies
10. Mobility Aids
11. Blood Pressure Monitors
12. Ostomy Supplies
13. Out of Saskatchewan/In Canada Travel
14. Vision Care

Many of these items have limits in coverage, please check your health plan to see what your policy covers. If you would like us to review your plan, please bring your policy into our office and we can take a look. You can also add other options to your plan. Such as:

1. Prescription Drugs
2. Dental
3. Hospital Cash
4. VIP Travel
5. Critical Illness
6. Term Life Insurance
7. Student Accident*

If you have any questions about this coverage, please call your insurance provider, or come by with your policy and we can review it for you. Our Health Insurance providers include Blue Cross & Group Medical Services (GMS). We offer Allianz Insurance for more specialty plans.