Provincial Standardized Extended Healh Benifit Plan Udate

Hi Folks,

The mediation between the BCTF and BCPSEA has concluded with an agreement on the outstanding questions around the new Extended Benefits plan.

Richard Hoover from the BCTF sent out the following information:

Yesterday Jim Iker, John Wadge, Marie Franco and I met with BCPSEA representatives and mediator Mark Brown in a successful effort to finalize all outstanding issues regarding the new standardized Extended Health Benefit plan.

There were three issues of dispute in implementing the new Pacific Blue Cross EHB plan: the extent of retroactivity of benefits, the availability of dual coverage in locals and districts where it is currently disallowed, and the ability of the employer to unilaterally change the plan provider.

The results of the mediation, in brief, are as follows:

·     retroactivity for the new EHB plan is to July 1, 2012

·     dual coverage will be allowed in all districts/locals in the new standardized plan, effective and retroactive to July 1, 2012

·     if a plan carrier change is contemplated in the future, we will use the same process by which BCPSEA and BCTF chose the new plan carrier (PBC) this round, and any dispute will go to Mark Brown or a mutually agreeable third party for a decision.

We will (hopefully) see the new pharmacy cards early in the new year.

Fred

Fred Robertson
President
Vancouver Island North Teachers’ Association
lp85@bctf.ca