Insured with Canada Life Assurance Company
Policy No. 335645 – Division 10
Toll-free number: 1-800-957-9777
(Select prompt 1 for language preference = English)
(Select prompt 4 for benefit selection = Extended Health inquires)

• Which employees are eligible for coverage under the CISVA, Extended Healthcare Plan?
• What general expenses are covered in our Extended Health plan?
• How much of our health costs are paid by our plan?
• What are Reasonable & Customary (R&C) charges?
• What is Coordination of Benefits?

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Which employees are eligible for coverage under the CISVA, Extended Healthcare Plan?

The eligibility requirements are as follows as defined in our Group Policy Contract:

1. You must be an Insurable Employee
2. You must be Actively at Work
3. You must be in the appropriate Benefit Class

Please refer to the Definitions and General Terms section of your benefit booklet for further clarification. Further details on the Benefits Class structure can be found on the CISVA website: CISVA Benefit Plan Overview / Basic Elements of Our Plan.

What general expenses are covered in our Extended Health plan?

Please refer to the Booklets section of the CISVA website. The available booklets are reflective of the appropriate Benefit Class that pertains to you. Extended Healthcare benefits are detailed according to your class status. Please ensure that you are referring to the correct benefit booklet.

How much of our health costs are paid by our plan?

In-Canada expenses = 80% of eligible expenses, up to any benefit plan maximums. There is a $25.00 annual employee/family deductible that must be satisfied before reimbursement.

Out-of-Country, unforeseen expenses = 100% of eligible expenses up to the specified benefit plan maximum that is reflective of your benefit class.

The annual deductible is not applied to any Out-of-Country expenses.

Please refer to your benefit booklet for any annual maximums that may apply for a particular benefit. If there is no financial limit set on a particular benefit, then Canada Life will reimburse eligible expenses up to the reasonable & customary charge.

What are Reasonable & Customary (R&C) charges?

Most benefit plans include coverage for Reasonable and Customary charges for dental and medical services. Generally, this is the lowest of the following:

• Representative pricing in the area where the treatment is provided.
• Prices are shown in the applicable professional association fee guide and the maximum prices established by law.

What is Coordination of Benefits?

When two or more plans are involved, one plan is considered to be the primary plan, and the carrier of that plan is the primary carrier (or insurer). The primary carrier pays its eligible amount first. The secondary carrier then reduces its payment by the amount by which total payments would exceed eligible expenses available through both plans. Eligible expenses are as defined in each carrier’s contract before limitations like your annual deductible, co-insurance, fee guides, and maximums are applied.

As a plan member, your claims should be processed through your benefit plan first. Claims for your spouse must be processed through your spouse’s plan first. Any remaining balance can then be processed through the other insurance plan.

When a child is covered under both parents’ plans, the plan of the parent whose birthday (month and day) falls earlier in the calendar year is billed first.

• How do I know if our plan covers a prescription from my doctor?
• Prior Authorization Drugs
• Where do I submit my eligible prescription drug claims?

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How do I know if our plan covers a prescription from my doctor?

There is provision for various prescription drugs which legally require a prescription when prescribed by a physician, dentist, Nurse Practitioner or Pharmacist. The legally prescribed drug(s) must have a Drug Identification Number (DIN).

Prescribed drugs purchased over-the-counter are not eligible for reimbursement!

IMPORTANT: Please contact Canada Life directly to confirm if coverage is available for your legally prescribed drug.

Prior Authorization Drugs

Certain prescription drug claims need to be approved by Canada Life before they can be considered for reimbursement. The Prior Authorization process helps Great-Wets Life ensure that appropriate drug coverage is provided, and that prescribed drugs are considered a reasonable treatment for your condition.

If you want to be considered for coverage for one of the drugs listed below, you must contact Canada Life and request the Request for Information form for the appropriate drug. Send the form to Canada Life before, or along with, your first claim for the drug to be reviewed.

• Alertec/Xyrem	• Amevive/Raptiva
• Botox/Myobloc	• Cerezyme
• Enbrel	• Flolan/Remodulin/Revatio/Tracleer/Thelin
• Fludara/Fludarabine	• Forteo
• Gleevec	• Growth Hormones (Humatrope/Nutropin/Genotropin/Protropin/Saizen)
• Herceptin	• Humira
• Iressa	• Kineret/Orencia
• Myozyme	• Oncology drugs (Avastin/Erbitux/Camptosar/Irinotecan Hydrochloride/Velcade/Taxotere/Alimta/Mabcampath/Nexavar/Abraxane/Femara/ Sprycel/Sutent/Temodal)
• Pulmozyme	• Remicade
• Replagal/Fabrazyme	• Rituxan
• Sativex	• Sensipar
• Serostim	• Somavert
• Tarceva	• Thyrogen
• Tysabri	• Xolair
• Zavesca

Where do I submit my eligible prescription drug claims?

Assure will process all eligible prescription drug claims.

The Assure Card is an electronic payment system that provides on-the-spot claims submission of prescription drug claims at almost any pharmacy in Canada. It’s a convenient, easy-to-use alternative to submitting claim forms. Plan members continue to pay 100% of the drug costs upfront; however, you present your Assure Card when having prescriptions filled. The pharmacist uses the card to confirm eligibility, drug coverage and remit your eligible drug claim directly to Assure for processing.

If/when a manual claim is required, please complete the attached claim form. Please note that you continue to use the same policy number (335645) and 9-digit identification number as your other extended health claims.

All other extended health claims will continue to be assessed directly by GWL.

• Pre-determination of Benefits
• Are special exams, e.g. MRI or CatScan or PetScan covered?
• Wigs
• Do I need to get travel insurance when I go outside of B.C. – or outside of Canada?

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Pre-determination of Benefits:

There are times in which you may be in a position which requires you to purchase an expensive item – i.e., a wheelchair, CPAP machine, prosthetic devices, etc. For items over $500, Canada Life may coordinate your claim directly with the service provider. For this to be accomplished, a pre-determination of benefits (pre-authorization) must be established.

This is a process that occurs before any services are performed, in which the provider outlines a proposed course of treatment and estimated costs. Canada Life will then specify the dollar amount and services that would be considered, if covered, by the CISVA Extended Healthcare plan. Canada Life requires the following information when submitting a pre-determination of benefits:

1. letter from the doctor outlining diagnosis & prognosis, confirming necessity for the specified equipment;
2. estimate from the service provider detailing the required equipment and applicable costs;
3. a note from yourself (the employee) confirming and authorizing Canada Life to coordinate the claim directly with the service provider; therefore, reimbursing them directly;
4. Extended Health claim form must be attached. Please indicate that this is a pre-determination which is why there will not be a purchase date on the invoice.

Take a photocopy for your own records and forward all originals to Canada Life for review.

Are special exams, e.g. MRI or CatScan or PetScan covered?

No. Canada life will not cover services or supplies that are covered by the government plan in the insured person’s home province.

Wigs

Coverage is provided for wigs for permanent hair loss as a result of any injury or disease, or temporary hair loss as a result of medical treatment for any disease. Benefits are available following chemotherapy or radiation treatment or for total hair loss from Alopecia Totalis (please refer to the Medical services and equipment section of your benefit booklet for plan maximums). However, Canada Life will allow coverage of wigs for other medical conditions as well. Please refer to the following conditions that are covered:

• Alopecia Totalis
• Alopecia – areata, congenitalis, leprotica, medicamentosa, neurotica, scarring alopecia
• Burns
• Cancer – chemotherapy
• Lupus
• Psuedopelade Broque – form of Alopecia Areata
• Scleroderma

Do I need to get travel insurance when I go outside of B.C. – or outside of Canada?

No, you don’t if you are an eligible employee within Benefit Class 1, 2, 4 or 8. Our Extended Healthcare plan provides 100% coverage for various emergency & unforeseen medical expenses up to $1 million for each insured person for all the eligible covered costs related to any medical emergency.

Yes, you do if you are an eligible employee within Benefit Class 3. Although the reimbursement level for these types of eligible expenses continues to be reimbursed at 100%, the benefit maximum is cut-back to a  maximum of $10,000 per insured individual.

Yes, you do if you are an eligible employee within Benefit Class 5. Although the reimbursement level for these types of eligible expenses continues to be reimbursed at 100%, the benefit maximum is cut-back a maximum of $500,000 per insured individual.

Note: Each adult travelling should be carrying a Travel Assist booklet, which provides the toll-free telephone contact to direct payment to the medical provider anywhere in the world. The employee’s name, group policy number (No. 335645) and identification numbers are to be written on the back cover. A PDF copy of this booklet can be located within the Booklets section of the CISVA website.

Important: You must contact the Canada Life Out-of-Country department to verify any coverage that is in place for this benefit. Please call them directly from 6:00 am – 3:00 pm (Pacific Standard Time) at 1-800-957-9777.

• Overview & financial benefit breakdown
• Resource information for confirming Paramedical practitioner’s designations
• Is a referral from a doctor required for the use of physiotherapy, massage, acupuncture, etc., treatments?

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Overview & financial benefit breakdown

Where provincial registration exists, the paramedical practitioner must be registered in the province where the service is given. If the practitioner is not registered with the applicable governing authority, then your claim will be rejected accordingly.

For your reference, we have included the applicable breakdown of expenses per covered benefit as confirmed by Canada Life (as of November 23, 2020). Please note that eligible expenses are not to exceed the maximum payable amount listed within the Calendar Year Maximum.

Resource information for confirming Paramedical practitioner’s designations

Physiotherapy Association of BC
Phone: (604) 736-5130
Fax: (604) 736-5606
www.bcphysio.org

Massage Therapists Association of BC
Phone: (604) 873-4467
Fax: (604) 873-6211
www.massagetherapy.bc.ca

College of Psychologists of BC
Phone: (604) 736-6164
www.collegeofpsychologists.bc.ca 

College of Naturopathic Physicians of BC
Phone: (604) 688-8236
www.cnpbc.bc.ca

BC Chiropractic Association and BC College of Chiropractors
Phone: (604) 270-1332
Fax: (604) 278-0093
www.bcchiro.com

British Columbia Association of Speech-Language Pathologist & Audiologist
Phone: (604) 420-2222
Fax: (604) 736-5606
www.bcaslpa.ca

College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of BC
Phone: (604) 738-7100
Fax: (604) 738-7171
www.ctcma.bc.ca

Is a referral from a doctor required for the use of physiotherapy, massage, acupuncture, etc., treatments?

If you are a resident of British Columbia, no, you do not require a referral from your doctor. The doctor’s referral was a requirement that had to be met for MSP as they had previously covered a portion of the user fees. However, since MSP no longer covers these expenses, Canada Life has not enforced this requirement to supply a referral from your doctor (again, providing that you are a BC resident).

Please note that the invoice provided by your paramedical practitioner’s office must indicate the following:

• The name of the claimant

• Date the service was rendered and that the expense was paid in full

• The receipt must reflect the practitioner’s designation (qualification) and their registration number.

• Address of paramedical practitioner’s office

• Where do I mail my claims to?
• Is there a claiming deadline for submitting my claims?
• Can my claims be sent directly to Canada Life Assurance?
• Where can I get blank claim forms?
• What can I do if I disagree with the amounts paid for my claims, or some claims are declined?

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Where do I mail my claims to?

Access for your group benefits information has never been easier with Canada Life’s GroupNet for Plan Members (aka Member Portal).

Register once and you’ll connect to a world of secure, user-friendly services – available online, any time! Available features are as follows:

• Sign up for direct deposit claim payments – claim paid directly into your bank account.
• Access expanded coverage information quickly and easily.
• View your claim status and Explanation of Benefits for the past 24 months
• Check your Extended Healthcare balance and the date that you would next be eligible for a particular benefit.
• Check when you’re covered for new glasses or contacts.
• Complete and print personalized claim forms
• Access the Health & Wellness Site that includes:
  • In-depth information on diseases, conditions, drugs and treatment options
  • Interactive health and wellness tools, including the Personal Health Risk Assessment

Registration is simple and secure.

Follow these easy steps to register and log in for the first time:

1. visit http://groupnet.greatwestlife.com
2. have the following information ready:
   1. Plan number (No. 335645) and your employee Identification number (available on the front of your last benefit statement or your wallet certificate – little green card)
   2. Your date of birth
   3. Date of birth of one of your dependents (if applicable)
   4. Your postal code
   5. Your e-mail address
3. follow the registration instructions to choose your own user name and password (do not include your middle name)

Registration will be confirmed in writing by posted mail. Sign up once and return at any time. All you need to remember is the personalized password and user name you’ve selected!