Know Your Benefits – Emergency Travel Health Plan

Retirees and their principal beneficiaries are eligible to avail of the University’s health plan provided by Medavie Blue Cross and the complementary emergency travel health plan provided by a separate insurance company, SSQ. Eligibility is conditional upon maintaining provincial health care coverage in Canada (e.g., MCP).

The travel health plan is an emergency medical plan intended for out of province travel only and will cover 100% of eligible expenses that result from an unexpected accident or illness which occurs outside your province of residence. Coverage is provided for a maximum of 180 days per trip and is subject to a very important exclusion for “pre-existing” medical conditions:

Pre-Ex Clause

The policy does not cover loss (fatal or non-fatal) or expenses caused by or resulting from:

• Any condition for which the Insured Person received medical advice, consultation or treatment within six (6) months prior to the commencement of a Trip, with the exception of a Chronic Condition which is under treatment and Stabilized by the regular use of prescribed medication;
• “Chronic Condition” means a disease or disorder which has existed for a minimum of six (6) months.
• “Stabilized” means there has not been a change in the medical condition requiring medical or psychiatric intervention for a minimum of six (6) months. Adjustments in doses of Warfarin or Coumadin are not considered to be medical intervention for the purpose of this definition, as long as the attending physician can confirm that the Insured Person’s condition was stabilized before the date of departure.

Whether the pre-existing medical exclusion applies to your particular situation or not will be a matter for the insurance company to determine once a claim arises and supporting medical information is supplied. Neither the University nor the insurer, SSQ, can confirm to you that the exclusion applies prior to your travel. For more information on the travel health plan, please refer to the SSQ brochure, located here: https://www.mun.ca/hr/retirees/notices.php

Glen Roberts,
Manager of Benefits, Pensions and Compensation,
Human Resources

Source: Your Voice Sep. 2018 Vol 16. N0 4.

2018-09-26