In the 2013-2015 collective agreement settled in October 2015 , the following two benefit improvements were achieved:
Prescription glasses increased to $750;
Dental implants increased to 75% coverage.
Additionally, the CUPE Retirees’ Association has been working with the parties to protect the current benefit for out-of-town medical appointments. Green Shield had denied the claim which it had been accepting for years, and planned to restrict the use of personal vehicles for such appointments, which had a profound impact on rural retirees. CUPE has now agreed that personal vehicles may be used when no public transportation is available.
GreenShield Travel Benefit Your Green Shield emergency medical travel benefit allows you to take advantage of a vast network of medical providers, resources, and contacts, all offering quality service, when you travel outside your home province and experience a medical emergency.
When travelling, it is recommended that you bring the following with you: your GreenShield identification card, provincial health card, and a credit card in case you need to pay out of pocket for a medical expense and submit a claim.
Brand Name Drugs vs. Generics Our extended health plan covers all drugs prescribed by your medical practitioner and approved by Health Canada.
Pharmacies may automatically fill the prescription with generic products, mainly because they are cheaper and because most plans require it.
Generally there is little difference between brand name and generic drugs, except for cost. The difference is in the fillers that are used to make the tablets, capsules, whatever.
Medicare Premiums and Taxes by Province
In the past, most Canadians paid a premium to be eligible for basic medicare. That finally ended in January 2020, when the premium was eliminated in BC. All Canadian provinces have instead instituted employer payroll taxes, individual taxes based on income or fund medicare through general revenue. Here is a brief summary by province:
British Columbia
• NDP government eliminated monthly health care premiums for individuals and families
Report by Cheryl Stadnichuk, commissioned by teh CSRA in 2019, on how provincial health insurance plans impact the health benefits of CUPE retirees when they turn 65.
When employees of CUPE retire, they and their dependents continue to receive the same benefit coverage they had while working. This is a benefit that was negotiated for you by your employee union. Once you turn 65, however, retirees in some provinces are eligible for benefits under their public provincial health insurance plan. Many provinces offer additional health benefit coverage to seniors aged 65 and over and this can affect your coverage under the CUPE sponsored Green Shield Canada (GSC) plan.
