Overview of Health and Travel Insurance Options
Retired UBC faculty and staff (as well as individuals working past age 71) have access to four different insurance plans that provide extended health care insurance and/or emergency medical travel insurance.
These plans are explained and complained in the UBC Emeritus College guide to insurance.
The four plans are:
- the UBC/Sun Life plan (UBC RSB Extended Health Care plan [EHC])
- the MEDOC plan (MEDOC Travel Insurance plan)
- the Johnson plan (Johnson EHC and Prestige Travel plan)
- the RTO plan (RTOERO EHC plan). [This plan provides EHC and Travel insurance.]
The official plan names used by UBC; Johnson, Inc.; and RTOERO are in parentheses.
Each plan has its particular strengths and limitations. It is important that you choose the plan or plans that best suit your individual needs and priorities. Many individuals choose to have the UBC/Sun Life plan and another plan, since the plans complement and reinforce each other.
It is important to remember that if upon retirement you fail to enroll in the UBC/Sun Life Extended Health Insurance for retirees, or decide at any time to cancel it, these decisions cannot be reversed at a later date.
Retired UBC faculty and staff also have access to the Employee and Family Assistance Plan and to various dental insurance plans, but these plans are not discussed here or in the UBC Emeritus College guide to insurance.
Life Insurance
Once you retire, or have reduced coverage (e.g., by working past your normal retirement date), your Basic Group Life Insurance, Optional Life Insurance, and Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance plans expire. You have the option to convert your Sun Life group insurance policy to an individual policy with Sun Life. After your actual retirement date at UBC (or once you have reduced coverage), you have 31 days to make the conversion.
To convert your Sun Life group policy (050555-G-014) to an individual policy, speak with a Sun Life representative directly by calling: 1-(877)-893-9893.
Further information is available from UBC Human Resources, on the Life Insurance Conversion page.
Wills and Future Care
As we age and our personal circumstances change, it is important to review and keep current our wills and future care documents. You may wish to seek legal advice from a lawyer who specializes in wills, estates and trusts. There is also helpful information provided by The Government of British Columbia on Wills and Estate Planning, which covers making a will, advance directives and representation agreements, and has a link to “Substitute Decision-Making and Incapacity Planning".
