We know you likely have lots of questions. What Benefits are available? Can I get Health & Dental coverage? What is Income Protection? And how can I qualify… especially during these unprecedented times of the COVID-19 pandemic?
We’ve talked to many part-time and casual health care workers who have been on the frontline for well over a year already and they are exhausted, scared, and understandably, can’t wait for the pandemic to be over. As expected, one of their biggest concerns is “What if I get sick with COVID or some other illness that is debilitating? What happens if I can’t work for an extended period of time?” Being a part-time employee, often means they don’t have the employee benefits that their full-time counterparts have but they need them just as much.
The GOOD news is, there is a solution… not just benefit options designed for these part-time employees, but also, they often receive a % of salary in lieu of benefits, allowing them to find benefits on their own.
We’ve posed some of their questions to the specialists at Health Care Providers Group Insurance Plan (HCP). Here’s a Q&A to share what they’ve had to say:
P/T EMPLOYEE: What type of coverage is included in Health & Dental for part-time employees?
HCP: The same type of coverage is available to PT employees as to the FT employees and there is no requirement for minimum number of hours worked.
Health coverage can include, Prescription Drugs, Travel Benefits, Trip Cancellation, Hospital Accommodations, Private Duty Nursing, Psychologist, Speech Therapist, Physiotherapist, Paramedical (ie. Massage), Vision, Eye Exams, Audio, Accidental Dental, Medical Items, Medical Alert Bracelets, and Emergency Transportation.
Dental coverage can include: Recall Exams, Fillings, Cleanings, Scalings, Examinations, Polishing, Extractions, General Anesthetic and other standard services. Endodontic treatment includes Root Canal Therapy. And Periodontal treatment includes addressing diseased bones and gums. In addition, enhanced coverage can include Major Restorative services.
P/T EMPLOYEE: What is income protection?
HCP: Income protection includes, Long Term Disability (LTD), Life Insurance, and Accidental Death, Disease & Dismemberment (ADD&D). Even if you have Health & Dental coverage through a spouse’s benefits plan, you won’t be covered for LTD or ADD&D. You may, however, get a nominal amount of Life Insurance on your spouse’s plan as a Dependent, but not always.
P/T EMPLOYEE: How do I qualify for income protection? I’m not a full-time employee.
HCP: If you are actively at work and work a minimum of 18 hours per week (even if hours are combined from more than one hospital location), you can get income protection. And, if you are under 35, you may qualify for an additional $1,000 a month of LTD at no additional cost. It’s so important for you to know your options because of all insurance, income protection is the most pressing as it impacts you now, today, in real time. If you couldn’t work due to an unexpected medical event, you would want the piece of mind to have the income to pay the bills and support your household.
P/T EMPLOYEE: What is an Enrollment Window?
HCP: An Enrollment Window, is the 60 day time period that an employee has to join a benefits plan without medical underwriting, based on specific career and/or personal milestones. Insurance companies put these in place to allow employees the time to convert from current coverage to another benefits plan or to join a benefits plan if they have not had previous coverage. An example of the milestones that qualify an employee to be able to take advantage of an Enrollment Window are:
- Accepted employment at the hospital and is applying for coverage within 60 days of their start date;
- Has lost other group benefits (maybe through a spouse) and is applying for coverage within 60 days of the loss of benefits;
- Has changed job status (ie. moving from FT to PT) and is applying for coverage within 60 days of the job status change, or;
- Is about to retire and is applying for coverage within 60 of their retirement date.
We’ve heard the concerns and we need to get the word out that there are solutions for almost every situation. Health Care Providers Group Insurance Plan (HCP) was designed and created 25 years ago, specifically for part-time, casual, temporary and retired hospital employees.
The GREAT news is, there will ALWAYS be a guaranteed level of coverage for all hospital employees.
The even GREATER news is, in celebration of Health Care Providers 25th anniversary, they are offering a 60 day OPEN enrollment window to ALL hospital employees so in addition to the guaranteed levels of coverage, everyone will qualify for the upgraded Complete and Complete Plus level coverage too. This limited time offer ends on June 29, 2021.
To find out more about the Health Care Providers Group Insurance Plan and what they can offer you, call 1-866-768-1477 or go to www.healthcareproviders.ca.