With the recent transition of the Public Service Health Care Plan to service provider Canada Life, CAPE and other unions are seeing a high number of reports from its members who are facing reimbursement delays, standard claims being rejected and long wait times to speak with customer service agents to seek answers.
As this transition was implemented by the employer, the Treasury Board, and is completely under its purview, CAPE urges it to take responsibility for its vendor choice and ensure that timely access is brought about immediately. Delays are causing stress and undue hardship for plan members seeking access to reimbursements and services.
Some members do not have the luxury of time in accessing mental health resources, prescription medication or other health services for themselves or their family.
In a letter to President of the Treasury Board Mona Fortier, CAPE President Camille Awada expressed disappointment and concern stating that “Canada’s public sector workers, including those who have retired, deserve better and deserve to have access to their health care plan benefits and the reimbursements that allow them to have a decent quality of life.”
CAPE will endeavour to keep government attention on this problem until the situation stabilizes for all CAPE members currently facing unnecessary hardships when trying to access basic services from their new service provider.
