Health coverage for employees who are new to Canada

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For a new employee starting to work in Canada, looking after basic health needs can be difficult.

There’s a waiting period for provincial health coverage, and group benefits plans don’t cover the physician, hospital or emergency services that they or their eligible dependents may need during their initial months in the country. They could end up incurring significant unexpected health expenses.

That’s why Equitable Life has launched InpatProtect^TM. Available beginning July 2, it provides temporary coverage to look after the basic health needs of employees and their eligible dependents during their transition to Canada. Employers can recruit from outside the country knowing that their employees will have some protection in the event of a medical need, including an emergency.

For up to 90 days, InpatProtect will cover employees and their eligible dependents for basic services that would normally be reimbursed under provincial health plans, such as:

• Physician services
  • Prescriptions for medications
  • Diagnosis and treatment for illness or injury
• Hospital services
  • In-patient services
  • Drugs prescribed and delivered as an inpatient in-hospital
  • Out-patient services
• Emergency services
  • Ambulance services
• Emergency dental services

InpatProtect functions as a separate health coverage plan with its own list of eligible expenses and plan design. As employees incur medical expenses, they will claim them under either their InpatProtect health coverage, or their group benefits plan, depending on the type of expense.

To be eligible, employees must be actively working for the employer in Canada. In addition, employees and their eligible dependents must:

• Have submitted their application for provincial health coverage and not currently be covered under any government sponsored health plan;
• Be under the age of 75;
• Qualify for their employer’s extended health coverage under the employer’s group benefits policy;
• Be living in Canada; and
• Expect to stay in Canada for the minimum provincial approval requirement.

Contact your advisor or Equitable Life representative to learn more about how InpatProtect can help fill the health coverage gap for your employees who are new to Canada.