Group Benefits Administrative Update

Transcription

1 Q Group Benefits Administrative Update Paying your monthly premiums through EFT Electronic Funds Transfer, also known as wire transfer, is a premium or deposit payment electronically transferred from your company s bank account directly into Manulife Financial s account. It is important that wire transfers contain proper information to enable prompt payment identification and processing. On many occasions, the wire transfers sent to us either contain inaccurate information or are missing the client name, address, policy number and/or divisions to which the payment should be applied. This results in processing and financial reporting delays, or sometimes returned payments. Information needed to process your wire payment You must provide the following information to your bank and Manulife Financial: Client Name Client Address Client Policy Number Account Number(s) Amount Breakdown of Payment - amounts for each policy, account numbers and the month for which the payment is required. What else does your bank need to process payment? In addition to everything listed above, you must also provide your bank with the following information about Manulife Financial: Royal Bank of Canada Bank Address: Main Branch Toronto, 200 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5J 2J5 Bank ID: 003 Transit: Bank Account: Swift Code: ROYCCAT2 (From U.S. to Canadian account) Payee: Manufacturers Life Insurance Company (Manulife Financial) Payee Address: 500 King Street North, Waterloo, Ontario N2J 4C6 (Continued on next page) In this issue Paying your monthly premiums through EFT Integration with Provincial Drug Plans British Columbia Prior Authorization drug list Importance of regular updates to employee salaries Assignment of certificate numbers Confirmation of over-age dependants Confirmation process for active employees 65+ Beneficiary Designations New mental health tools and information available online Cuba out-of-country coverage for plan members Legislative updates

2 Paying your monthly premiums through EFT (continued) You may also send Canadian dollar wire payments from a foreign bank account as long as in addition to the previous information, you include the name and complete address of the foreign bank in your . Sending your wire transfers to Manulife Financial For each payment, you should send your wire transfer information to GB_ PCA_Inquiries@Manulife.com*. Your to Manulife Financial should include the following subject line: Wire Payment for (insert your company name), Policy Number: (Insert your Policy Number) *We are currently consolidating our addresses in an effort to serve you better. If you previously sent your wire payments to GB_ HO_ Billing@Manulife.com, you should now use GB_PCA_Inquiries@Manulife.com. Integration with Provincial Drug Plans Manulife Financial currently integrates drug claims with a number of provincial drug programs. Here are some of the processes we have in place today to help ensure that eligible plan members take advantage of provincial programs that may be available to them. The program The province How we handle drug claims Universal/Senior s Provincial Drug Programs All except Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick where the provincial plan is the payor of last resort. Processes and thresholds are in place to ensure members enroll and claims are submitted to the provincial plan for eligible recipients. Hospital Drug Program All provinces Systems automatically decline drugs identified under the Hospital Drug Program. Organ Transplant Specialty Program British Columbia, Alberta Systems automatically decline drugs identified by Manulife that are fully funded by the Organ Transplant program. HIV Specialty Program British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario Systems automatically decline drugs identified by Manulife that are fully funded by the HIV program. Cystic Fibrosis Specialty Program Alberta Systems automatically decline drugs identified by Manulife that are fully funded by the Cystic Fibrosis program. Multiple Sclerosis Program New Brunswick, British Columbia Prior authorization process Growth Hormone Program British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario Prior authorization process British Columbia Special Authority Program British Columbia Prior authorization process We re constantly assessing our Group Benefits programs to help ensure we are delivering the best value and service to our plan sponsors and plan members. To that end, we are currently exploring opportunities to expand our integration with these types of provincial drug programs even further. British Columbia Prior Authorization drug list Manulife has recently expanded our Prior Authorization drug list in BC to include a selection of higher-cost drugs currently included under the province s Special Authority Drug program. For more information please click on Bulletins on the Newsletter site.

3 Administrative reminders Importance of regular updates to employee salaries It s that time of year again when we remind plan administrators to ensure you ve provided us with accurate salary information for your plan members. It s important that we maintain the most current information for your employees so that there will be no delay in processing any potential disability and life claims. If the information we have is not accurate, it will affect any salary-based benefits and also affect the accuracy of your billing statements. To confirm we have the correct salary information, you can enter updates on the Plan Administrator Secure Site. Assignment of certificate numbers For plan administrators who assign certificate numbers for their plan members, it s important that each certificate number be used only once. A certificate number or member ID is a unique identifier for each member in a policy. Their address and history are affiliated with these IDs and are the basis for current or historical inquiries and claims payment. For privacy considerations it is important that these numbers are not reissued to new employees at a later date. Confirmation of over-age dependants If your plan submits plan member changes via paper or the Plan Administrator Secure Site, please remind plan members of the need to annually confirm over-age student dependants. Every year we update our records to ensure over-age student dependants continue to receive uninterrupted health and dental coverage for the duration of their formal education, or until they reach the maximum age of 25. Plan members who need to extend benefits for over-age student dependants must complete a Request for Over-Age Dependant Coverage form (GL4408E/F), and return it to Manulife by July 31. An over-age student dependant is a plan member's unmarried child (within a designated age range, as defined by your benefits plan) who is a full-time student enrolled in accredited post-secondary education. Timely annual confirmation is especially important if plan members and their dependant children use drug cards, or submit dental claims electronically. If a plan member's over-age student dependant graduates, leaves school or no longer qualifies as an eligible dependant, plan members need to complete the Termination of Over-Age Dependant Coverage form (also GL4408E/F). This form is available online for plan administrators who have registered for the Plan Administrator Secure Site. Login to the Secure Site and click on 'Forms and Brochures'. The form can either be submitted through the Secure Site, or mailed to Manulife. Confirmation process for active employees 65+ As your Group Benefits provider, Manulife has a responsibility to maintain accurate records for both you and your plan members. By maintaining your eligibility, we make sure that claims are paid in accordance with your contract. Annually, we will be asking plan administrators with active employees over age 65, to validate that they meet the eligibility requirements outlined in their contract. Over the next few months, we will contact you to confirm this information.

4 Beneficiary Designations Reminder: It s important that plan members understand the reasons behind designating a beneficiary, and that they periodically review their designation, particularly as they approach life events such as a marriage, divorce and change in dependants. By naming a beneficiary and ensuring the information is kept current, the plan member directs that their life benefits are distributed per their wishes. New mental health tools and information available online Understanding that mental health issues have a direct impact on the workplace, Manulife created Workplace Solutions for Mental Health as part of our WellConnected disability and absence management program. In today's work force, mental illness has a significant impact on employers and employees. It affects both absenteeism and productivity, and is a leading cause of employee disability in a work environment. Workplace Solutions for Mental Health is a comprehensive framework that provides you with practical tools, resources, support and services to assist in an employee s recovery and return to work. We continue to expand this offering by adding new tools and information to our public website. Visit Workplace Solutions for Mental Health at to find out what s new. Cuba out-of-country coverage for plan members Effective May 1 all visitors travelling to Cuba are required to provide proof of out-of-country travel health insurance upon landing. If visitors do not hold insurance from an approved carrier/assistance provider (evidence of provincial health insurance coverage may be accepted) at the point of entry into Cuba, they may be required to purchase insurance for the duration of their stay. Plan members with Manulife Emergency Travel Assistance (ETA) coverage are encouraged to carry a copy of their Manulife ETA and/or combined Manulife ETA/drug (One) card, along with a letter from Mondial Assistance confirming travel insurance coverage. A link to the letter can be found in the Cuba travel Bulletin on the Group Benefits site under Newsletters, as well as on the plan administrator, plan advisor, plan sponsor and plan member public websites.

5 Legislative updates There have been a number of legislative updates in recent months. For more information on a number of the following issues, go to manulife.ca and under Group Benefits click on Newsletters. This will take you to the Newsletter site, where you can click on Benefits Bulletins. Federal Natural Health Products Effective January 1, products with a Drug Identification Number(DIN) that were reclassified by Health Canada as Natural Health Products and assigned a Natural Product Number (NPN) in place of the DIN are considered ineligible for reimbursement under Manulife Financial Group Benefits plans. If your plan provides coverage for over-the-counter products purchased on prescription, as of January 1, only those products with a valid DIN continue to be eligible for reimbursement under your plan. It should be noted that since the assignment of NPNs has been extended by Health Canada, some products that are covered today may no longer be eligible later in the year once the process is complete. In Quebec, products assigned NPNs that are considered eligible expenses under the Régie de l assurance maladie du Quebec (RAMQ) will continue to be covered. Products not considered eligible expenses on a drug formulary however, but are considered eligible expenses under RAMQ, will continue to be covered up to the minimum RAMQ requirements. Federal CPP deductions on ASO disability payments On January 28, the Federal Court of Appeal released its decision in Toronto Transit Commission v. Minister of National Revenue. Manulife has reviewed the decision which concluded that employers are not required to deduct and remit Canadian Pension Plan contributions on behalf of employees who are receiving long term disability benefits under an Administrative Services Only plan. Manitoba minimum wage increase Effective October 1, Manitoba will increase its minimum wage by 50 cents to $9.50 an hour. This move will affect approximately 28,000 people in Manitoba working in minimum-wage jobs. Federal Employee Life & Health Trust proposed new tax vehicle The federal Department of Finance announced February 26 a draft tax proposal to accommodate the Employee Life and Health Trust, a vehicle which, within certain limitations, could be used to fund both current and former employee benefits. This is a new form of trust that would be codified under the Income Tax Act and may be intended to replace Health and Welfare Trusts, which are not specifically addressed in the Act. Alberta Pharmaceutical Strategy Seniors Drug program On March 31, the Government of Alberta announced that its proposed changes to the Seniors Drug program, scheduled to take effect July 1, were being put on hold. The existing Seniors Drug program, available to all Albertans 65 years and older, will remain in effect. Plan sponsor drug plans will continue to integrate with the province providing coverage for the amount not paid by the province, which is 30 per cent of the cost, to a maximum of $25 for drugs eligible under the provincial program. (Continued on next page)

6 Q Legislative updates (continued) Nova Scotia harmonized sales tax increase Effective July 1, the province s HST rate will change to 15 per cent from 13 per cent.. Ontario & British Columbia sales tax harmonization Effective July 1, Ontario and British Columbia provincial governments will harmonize their Provincial (Retail) Sales Tax with the federal government s Goods and Services Tax. The HST will be administered by the federal government. The HST in Ontario will be 13 per cent and in British Columbia it will be 12 per cent. Administrative Services Only plans without an insurance component and other fee-for-service type of products will attract the new HST. The HST/GST will not apply to insured plan premiums. Quebec Budget 2010 On March 30, Quebec introduced its provincial budget for this year. Among the initiatives announced was a change to the Quebec premium tax (compensatory tax), with the Quebec premium tax now at 2.55 per cent instead of 2.35 per cent, starting March 31. Quebec has two types of sales tax: the Quebec Sales Tax (TVQ or Title I) is a goods and services tax and effective January 1, 2011, this will be increased to 8.5 per cent from 7.5 per cent. Effective January 1, 2012, it will be increased to 9.5 per cent. Quebec s second sales tax (QST Title III) is a sales tax applicable to group insurance and ASO plans. The rate is currently 9 per cent and there is no change to this tax. Quebec minimum wage increase Effective May 1, the minimum wage rate will increase to $9.50 from $9/hour and the rate for employees earning gratuities will increase $0.25 to $8.25. The hourly rate payable to employees of certain sectors of the clothing industry will increase to $9.50 from $9/hour. Saskatchewan Delisting of chiropractic services Effective April 1, the Saskatchewan government delisted chiropractic services. The change in coverage will impact plan sponsors located in Saskatchewan and national plan sponsors with employees in the province of Saskatchewan. Emergency Travel Assistance is administered by Mondial Assistance. WellConnected and Group Benefits products and Mondial Assistance are offered through Manulife Financial. WellConnected, Manulife Financial and the block design are registered service marks and trademarks of The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company and are used by it and its affiliates including Manulife Financial Corporation. Mondial Assistance The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company. All rights reserved