Make the most of your group benefits flex plan (and watch our snappy new video!)
By Rob Jackett
Understanding your flex plan and how it works is important for you and your family’s health and wellbeing. Our CBBenefits plan was designed to allow you to have flexibility in providing health benefits through your working career within the Canadian Baptist Partner network.
Your coverage options
All members have the same basic insurance coverage for core benefits, including Life Insurance, Long Term Disability, and the Employee Assistance Program (not to mention a few others). You can then choose between one of three Health and Dental coverage plan options, Green Leaf, Orange Leaf and Blue Leaf, depending on what suits your needs and preferences.
These plans are all equal in value from a member's perspective. For example, the Green Leaf plan has no dental and has lower paramedical coverage than the other plan options, but it does have a large Health Care Spending Account (HCSA). On the other hand, the Blue Leaf Plan has higher coverage and includes orthodontia, but it requires that members pay a top-up premium for the additional coverages. The Orange Leaf Plan is more like a traditional plan, with the flexibility of a smaller HCSA than the Green Leaf plan. To help you choose a plan option that’s right for you, it’s important to know how much you use your benefits, the type of benefits you use and your personal family status – then you can maximize their value.
For example...
A family of four with no additional coverage under another benefits plan, and whose children are age 12 or older may need to have orthodontic coverage, and as such, could opt for the Blue Leaf plan. Although there is an additional premium attached, the cost could ultimately benefit them as they would be covered for orthodontic care.
On the other hand, a couple without children may opt for the Orange Leaf plan if they feel their needs aren’t significant. In that case, having the higher level of coverage available under the Blue Leaf plan, and the additional premium that goes with it, may not be worth the additional cost.
If you generally do not use benefits much or have benefit coverage from another plan, you may opt for the Green Leaf Plan as it provides the most flexibility in coverage with a large HCSA deposit.
Regardless of the plan option, if you have a partner with health and dental benefits, combining coverages – known as “Coordinating Benefits” is very beneficial. Thanks to Canada Life, this is quite easy to do and can mean that you receive most, or even 100% of your benefit-related expenses reimbursed. When you visit the My Canada Life at Work website, simply indicate that you would like to coordinate benefits. Fill out your partner’s plan information (insurer, policy number, etc.) and Canada Life will assess the claim appropriately.
Which coverage option did I choose?
I personally have chosen the Green Leaf Plan as I am fortunate that my spouse has Health and Dental benefits with her employer. We coordinate our claims with the primary member’s claims being paid by their provider first, and any unpaid claim amount or co-pay amounts are paid by the secondary provider. And, when there are additional expenses not otherwise covered under either plan, these can be submitted to be paid from my HCSA. In general, this helps ensure that the full amount of a claim is paid. We get to re-enroll for coverage every two years.
Re-enrollment happens every two years
Every two years, you can reenroll in the plan, which lets YOU choose the right plan option for YOU (our next reenrollment will be in the fall of 2025). As life circumstances change you may want to make a change to the plan option you’ve chosen. Of course, if a major life event happens, such as job loss, a death in the family, or a marriage breakdown, you can contact us to review and discuss the options available to you.
You can learn more right here on this website. Go ahead and look around!