Announcements Archive

Changes to Extended Health Care Claims

CARESnet provides Pacific Blue Cross members with secure online access to benefits information 24 hours a day. We have enhanced CARESnet to include access to dental information. Now, in addition to giving members access to their health information, customers can access information on their dental plans and claims. More and more members rely on CARESnet to access information about their Blue Cross benefit plans. We encourage you to utilize this valuable service.

Pacific Blue Cross is committed to finding innovative ways to provide better service for our customers and we are continuing to develop additional enhancements to our Web-based technology service solutions. To register for CARESnet or to take an online tour, visit the PBC website at www.pac.bluecross.ca. If you have any questions or require more information, contact Pacific Blue Cross.

• Changes to EHC Claims Process
  April 1, 2011
• How To Access PharmaCare Special Authority
• Special Authority Drug List

PBC E-Claims Coming January 1, 2011

We are pleased to announce that effective January 1, 2011, electronic claim submission will be available through CARESnet, Pacific Blue Cross secure self-service website for plan members.

To file an electronic claim, you must first be enrolled for direct deposit and electronic claim statements."  CARESnet will first guide you through enrolment and then through the process of submitting claims for your vision care, chiropractic, physiotherapy, and message therapy expenses.

For certain claims, Pacific Blue Cross may require you to submit additional information or supporting documentation before processing your eClaim.  Additionally, your eClaim may be elected for receipt verification where you will be required to submit receipts before your eClaim is processed.

Pacific Blue Cross will continue to require paper submissions for certain Extended Health Benefit claims.

Canada Pension Plan Changes now in Effect

Several changes to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) that were previously announced have now become law. These changes do not impact anyone currently receiving a CPP pension benefit or who will start their CPP pension in 2011.

Here’s an overview of the changes, many of which will be gradually phased in.

Changes to Early and Late Retirement Rules

Currently, CPP benefits are reduced by 6% for each year you begin your pension before age sixty-five and increase by 6% for each year that you commence your pension after age 65. These increases or reductions are designed to reflect the shorter (or longer) payout times associated with beginning your pension after or before the normal retirement age of 65.

Under the new rules, pension benefits will be reduced by 7.2% (versus the current 6%) for each year you begin your pension before age 65. It is being phased in over a five year time period beginning in 2012, and will allow many people to take advantage of the phased in retirement provisions before the full impact of these greater reductions take effect.

The pension increase for delaying your CPP benefit start date until after age 65 goes from 6% a year to 8.4% a year, phased in over three years beginning in 2011. This means that someone who delays the commencement of their CPP benefit until age 70 (the maximum age you can begin) will receive a pension that’s 42% higher than they would have received at age 65.

Removal of Work Cessation Test for CPP before age 65

Currently, to apply for CPP benefits from age 60 to 64, you must have either stopped working before your CPP retirement benefit begins, or have earnings less than the current monthly maximum CPP retirement pension benefit.

Under the new rules that take effect in 2012, you can start receiving your CPP benefits after age 60 without any requirement to stop working or significantly curtail work. In addition, if you are under age 65, both you and your employer will continue to contribute to the CPP to accrue your pension while you are receiving the CPP benefit. These continued contributions are optional after age 65. These new rules are designed for people who want to ease into retirement, but still want to maintain a certain level of income.

Increase in General Low Earnings Dropout

When the Federal Government calculates your CPP benefit, they adjust the calculation to allow for a “dropout” of certain periods of low or no income. In addition, they apply other “dropout” provisions such as child rearing and for periods spent receiving a CPP disability benefit. When these periods are excluded there is the potential to increase your monthly CPP benefit up to the maximum amount.

Currently, the general “dropout” provision is 15% of the years where your earnings are low or nil. For example, if you take your benefits at age 65, your CPP benefit calculation will drop almost seven years of low or zero earnings.

Under the new rules, the general “dropout” provision will increase to 16% in 2012 and 17% in 2014. This will allow a maximum of almost 7.5 years of low or zero earnings to be dropped in the CPP benefit calculation for years 2012 to 2013 and 8 years of low or zero earnings to be dropped starting in 2014.

These changes may increase your CPP benefit, especially if you have multiple years of low or no income because you immigrated to Canada and entered the workforce late, spent extended time in school, cared for family members or any other reason.

Courtesy of Sun Life Financial

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