UBC Emeriti are automatically offered extended health care insurance by UBC Human Resources upon retirement. This insurance is administered by Sun Life. In addition, emeriti have had the option of enrolling in a plan arranged by the UBC Emeritus College and Johnson, Inc. since September 2014. The plan combines extended health care insurance and travel medical insurance. The Johnson insurance can be purchased either as a supplement to the UBC/Sun Life insurance or instead of it.
The purpose of this page is to assist you in understanding and evaluating this new insurance option.
In the revised and expanded Report of the Benefits Commmittee you can read more about the differences between the plans.
Please click on the link for the latest PDF-version of the revised and expanded Report of the UBCAPE Benefits Committee, "Choosing Extended Health and Travel Insurance to meet your specific needs". (a PDF-document will be downloaded on your computer)
Below are some other key points to keep in mind:
1.If you are satisfied with your existing insurance coverage for Extended Health Care (e.g., the UBC/Sun Life insurance) and Travel Medical Insurance (e.g., MEDOC or other travel insurance), then there is no need to change your present arrangement.
2.If you do not presently have Extended Health Care insurance, you will have to provide evidence of medical insurability to enrol in the Johnson plan.
3.If you have had continuous coverage since retirement in a group Extended Health Care plan (such as the UBC/Sun Life plan), you will be able to enrol in the new Johnson plan without providing evidence of medical insurability.
4.The new Johnson insurance is likely to be of greatest interest to individuals who
a. do not presently have Extended Health Care insurance;
b. are concerned about exceeding the lifetime maximum of their present Extended Health Care insurance;
c. are concerned about the high cost of their present travel insurance due to age or health status.
5.Some individuals may wish to have both the UBC/Sun Life insurance and the new Johnson insurance, using the Johnson insurance to replace their existing travel insurance and to cover gaps in the UBC/Sun Life insurance (e.g., the $1,000 deductible, and the absence of coverage for hearing aids and glasses).
6. MEDOC Travel Insurance will remain available for those who want this insurance. If you decide to meet your travel insurance needs through the new Johnson insurance, and are cancelling your MEDOC insurance, you will need to contact Johnson to cancel the MEDOC insurance. Johnson cannot terminate the Medoc coverage without your written consent.
7. In considering your insurance options, it is important to be aware that if you cancel your UBC/Sun Life Extended Health insurance, this decision is not reversible, and you will NOT be able to re-enrol in the UBC plan in the future.
If you have questions or would like to get more information regarding the Johnson insurance and how it compares to the existing insurance offered, you can:
a. download the Report that the Benefits Committee of the UBC Emeritus College has prepared and distributed by clicking on the link.
b. check the Johnson website with specific information for the UBC Johnson plan at: http://www.johnson.ca/ubc/
c. call the Johnson Plan Benefit Service team at 604.881.8840 or 1.866.799.0000, or reach Johnson via email at pbservicewest@johnson.ca.
Please Note: The UBC Emeritus College cannot make insurance recommendations for individuals. This is an individual decision based upon your specific situation regarding health, finances, frequency of travel, risk tolerance, etc.