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June 2010 Bulletin

News from The Benefit Specialists Corp.

From: The Benefit Specialists Corp. <sean.murray@telus.net>
Subject: News from The Benefit Specialists Corp.
Reply: sean.murray@telus.net


  June 2010
The Benefit Specialists Corp. Newsletter
In This Issue
TBSC Tidbit- Group Benefits for Contractors
Need to See a Specialist Now? Not Likely!
Is the Long Term Care Benefit Something I Should Consider?
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Just a reminder....
As independent brokers we have the ability to go to any insurance company to get insurance quotes.  If you are looking at your group benefit plan (or know of another company who is) and are wondering if you are using your dollars in the most efficient way possible please contact us and we will be happy to discuss this with you.
TBSC Tidbit
Group Benefits for Contractors

Do you have a large number of contractors working for your company and you are wondering if there are group benefit options for them?

Are there contractors covered under your plan that shouldn't be?

The Benefit Specialists can help.  At TBSC we provide two options:

1.    Contract employees may purchase a plan for individual Health and Dental through a variety of carriers who offer several options for this type of coverage.  All we need is the birthdates of all members to be covered under the policy to run quotes, and then we will provide the application and other requirements to move forward.

2.     If a company has a class comprised of contractors alone, and these contractors work 100% of their time for your company, we can provide them all benefits, not just Health and Dental.  We would require an employee listing with names, dates of birth and other pertinent information.  With this data, we can approach carriers and request quotes.

How can TBSC provide these benefits?

In our efforts to serve the wide variety of needs our clients have, we have aligned ourselves with several carriers who offer a variety of options for employers like you.  Whether your company requires just Health and Dental, Life and Long Term Disability benefits, or the whole gamut, TBSC will send out quotes and get the best possible option.  As each carrier has different requirements and definitions as to what constitutes a contract employee, we require that the aforementioned information be submitted so we can ensure smooth implementation.

Need to See a Specialist Now? Not Likely!
by Jim Viccars
President
Acure Health Corp.

The Canadian Healthcare System is like a hospital gown, you only think you're covered!
-        Comedian Francis Stewart
 
 
Most Canadians have very little understanding of how the Canadian healthcare system works. This is a shame as this is the one government program that affects us all. Politicians, bureaucrats and the healthcare unions find it very useful to keep the delivery of services a mystery and employ much practiced rhetoric to confuse issues, defer accountability and block common sense reforms.
 
For most people, entry to the system is through their GP or Family Physician. The average appointment lasts less than 6 minutes as most primary care Physicians see between 50 and 60 patients per day in order to make ends meet. Primary care physicians have very little leeway to diagnose serious illness or injury and are limited to blood work, x-rays, ultrasounds and similar general procedures.  Actual diagnosis is left to the Specialist who has much greater flexibility in ordering tests, i.e. MRI and CT Scans, scheduling surgery or doing continuous follow-up and/or treatment with patients.
 
Unfortunately, access to Specialists is restricted by the system in order to control costs. Canadians wait months, and sometimes years, to see the proper Specialist. During this wait, patients experience pain, anxiety and deterioration of health and wellbeing. In some cases, undiagnosed illnesses grow to life-threatening proportions. After all, early diagnosis is the key to effective treatment.
 
In 2007, Alberta Health ran a pilot project in Red Deer where patients were seen by a Specialist within 21 days of referral by their primary care Physician. The study concluded that seeing a Specialist within this time frame may reduce the intensity of treatment and recovery time by as much as 75%. Despite this significant conclusion, the study was shelved as too expensive to implement province wide.
 
Is there an option?  One company, Acure Health of Calgary, has introduced a group insurance program called Diagnostic and Specialist Access Insurance (DSAI) to provide clients with access to Specialists within 21 days in 10 important categories: Cardiology, Ear, Nose and Throat, Gastroenterology, General Surgery, Neurology, Ophthalmology, Rheumatology, Spine Team or Physiatrist and Urology.  MRI and CT scans are also included. Imagine seeing a Specialist on your time frame and receiving a complete diagnosis in as little as 21 days, all paid for by your insurance company.
 
With cancer effecting 4 of every 10 Canadians and heart disease being the number one cause of death for both men and women, an early diagnosis is the best way to combat serious illness.  You cannot afford to wait!
 
 DSAI is available to employers with 2 or more employees and associations which offer benefits to members.  For more information, visit www.fasthealth.ca.
Is the Long Term Care Benefit Something I Should Consider?

by Jennifer Creighton, BA
The Benefit Specialists Corp.

In a 2007 Statistics Canada General Social Survey, it was discovered that most eldercare (75%) was provided by those between 45-64 years of age.[i]  This spectrum includes caregivers with young families at home and those who are already reaching their elder years.  Furthermore, 70% of these caregivers were family members.[ii]  From these statistics we can see that taking care of aging relatives is still primarily a family matter, and because of this, our decision to consider a Long Term Care benefit plan needs to incorporate this reality.
 
What is the Long Term Care Benefit Plan?
Coverage could include entrance into a long term care facility or receiving medical care in your home.  This can include nursing care, rehabilitation and therapy, personal care covering the daily activities of life, homemaking services and supervision.  Essentially, the Long Term Care benefit is there to ensure that you have more choices about the kind and amount of care you receive, and where you receive it, should you require it. 
 
Patty Randall, in her May 2010 article in the Calgary Herald makes an interesting point:
"The experts tell us that we should own a long-term care policy for the same reason we buy life insurance, because we love our family, and without it, our family could be seriously affected, in some cases devastated. We are going to be taken care of one way or another, but it is our loved ones' lives that will be changed dramatically without some planning on our part--it's all about consequences. It is often said that 'LTCI doesn't replace a family's love, it complements it'." [iii]
 
For more information about the Long Term Care benefit, or to request a quote, please contact TBSC.
 

[i] Kelly Cranswick and Donna Dosman, "Eldercare: What we Know Today."  Canadian Social Trends Winter 2008.  http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/collection_2008/statcan/11-008-X/11-008-x2008002-eng.pdf.  p.50
[ii] Ibid, p.51
[iii] Patty Randall, "An Opinion on Long Term Care Insurance." Calgary Herald.  May 6, 2010. http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/opinion+long+term+care+insurance/2992612/story.html.

Sean Murray
The Benefit Specialists Corp.
sean.murray@beneco.ca
(403) 547-5236

The information contained in this bulletin is for general information purposes only. The articles published in this bulletin have been collected by The Benefit Specialists Corp. (TBSC) and we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability or availability with respect to the information, products, services, or related graphics contained.  Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.  In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits out of, or in connection with, the use of the information contained in this bulletin.  Through this bulletin you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TBSC.  We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
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