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December 14, 2022

Employment Insurance Update | How to Equip Your Workplace for Cold & Flu Season| Empowering Healthy Work Environments | Your voice. Your choice. | In Your Community | Happy Holidays!

Extension of Employment Insurance (EI)

The Government of Canada has been working to modernize the Employment Insurance (EI) program. Effective November 14, 2022, as part of this effort, the 2022 federal budget confirmed the extension of Employment Insurance sickness benefits from 15 to 26 weeks, for new disabilities beginning on or after December 18, 2022.


Saskatchewan Blue Cross will not mandate a plan design change due to the changes to the EI benefit. We encourage Plan Sponsors to keep the following in mind when considering aligning their Disability plans with the Federal program:


  • The federal government has not signalled any immediate changes to the Premium Reduction Program (PRP). Existing plans approved for the PRP continue to qualify as is. As a result of the EI change, there may be future changes to the PRP that require Plan Sponsors to adopt the 26-week benefit period to maintain eligibility in the program.


  • Plan Sponsors with Short-Term Disability (STD) benefits may want to consider waiting to make changes until required under the PRP eligibility rules, as extending STD benefits will incur a rate increase. For groups who have Short Term Disability and Long-Term Disability (LTD) benefits, changes impacting STD rates may result in changes in LTD benefits and rates - those changes will be determined on a case-by-case basis, depending on the group. 


  • Reminder: LTD is first payor. In the scenario where there is no STD benefit, if LTD benefits start prior to EI ending, the employee may be receiving payments from both EI and the Insurer for the same period. Any earnings the employee collects while on EI need to be reported to EI to avoid receipt of double payments by aligning the plans, the employee avoids having to report STD or LTD benefits to EI. Plan sponsors who rely on EI sickness instead of providing STD may wish to consider making changes to align their LTD elimination period to the new EI benefit in the near future.


We will continue to offer meaningful solutions and keep you updated as more information becomes available.


Questions about potential changes to a specific group's plan design and disability benefit offering? Reach out to your Account Executive.

Virtual Care: Equipping the Workplace for Cold & Flu Season 

The holidays are upon us – and so is cold and flu season! It is that time of year again when Human Resource professionals and business owners need to prepare for holiday hours and time-off requests and unexpected employee absenteeism. 


The average employee takes 8.5 sick days per year, resulting in $2,000 of direct absence costs per employee.¹


Having a virtual care service in place can help mitigate some of the challenges that are parcel and part with cold and flu season.

(Source: 1. Stats Canada, 2019; assumes an average salary of $60,000.)

Saskatchewan Blue Cross is a proud partner of Canada’s leading virtual care provider - Maple. Together with Maple, we are bringing employees a fully coordinated patient experience through Online Doctors by Maple.


While virtual care is not well suited for emergency situations that require acute in-person care, like a broken leg, it's an excellent solution for routine medical issues. For help with colds, flus, earaches, prescription refills, and other common conditions, virtual care allows employees to connect with a provider and get care quickly without having to leave home.


It is estimated that 76% of all medical issues can be addressed through remote treatment, further relieving the strained Saskatchewan health care system.


What are some of the most common, seasonal conditions that can be treated with Maple?

Colds

Flus

Rashes

Cold sores

Food poisoning

Sinus infections

Eye infections

Headaches

Sore throat

Fevers

Pink eye

...and more

Doctors and nurse practitioners on Maple’s virtual platform can prescribe almost any medication they deem necessary, excluding controlled substances.


For more information on this product, visit Broker Resources or contact your Account Executive.

Empowering Healthy Work Environments

Lack of safe sun exposure and vitamin D deficiencies are a threat to those of us living in the northern hemisphere.

 

The good news, though, is that you only need to get outside for a few minutes, on a sunny day) to boost your vitamin D levels and optimize your well-being.

The shortened, darker days and cooler weather can make it challenging to get outdoors. Do not let the wintry weather get you down - winter in Saskatchewan can be amazing!

 

Check out our blog post on Fun Activities to Embrace this Winter in Saskatchewan! Share with business owners, plan administrators or Human Resource professionals and encourage them to share with their employees to help foster wellness in the workplace!

Your voice. Your choice.

We were very excited to launch our second year of the Saskatchewan Blue Cross “Your voice. Your choice.” program. As part of this program, we engaged with you in conversations on supporting mental wellness, current health needs and key vulnerable populations. We then surveyed you so your voices could be heard regarding the organizations that you wanted us to support. We had a huge uptake and are proud to say we will be donating over $50,000 among the following 11 deserving organizations:

 

  • The Circle Project
  • Hope’s Home
  • White Buffalo Youth Lodge
  • Canadian Mental Health – Saskatchewan Division
  • Saskatoon Community Clinic
  • Regina Community Clinic
  • Elmwood
  • Saskatoon Crisis Intervention Service
  • Diabetes Associations
  • Lung Association
  • Prairie Harm Reduction

In Your Community

Saskatchewan Rural Hospitals Foundations

We are happy to support the Saskatchewan Rural Hospitals Foundations. Investing in the health and wellbeing of our community is part of our mission. Saskatchewan Blue Cross works with hospital foundations across the province to ensure that residents have access to the care they need when they need it.

 

We worked with the Rural Hospital Foundations in Saskatchewan to identify small projects or equipment purchases that have gone unfunded. We are proud to be supplying wireless fall prevention systems for dementia patients, head lamps used in surgery and labour and delivery, new mental health beds and funds to allow for minor renovations and equipment to create a new Ambulatory Care Clinic. Funds will be supporting the following Rural Hospital Foundations:

 

  • Dr. Noble Irwin Regional Healthcare Foundation – Swift Current
  • St. Peter's Hospital Foundation - Melville
  • Kipling and District Health Foundation
  • Melfort Hospital
  • Weyburn & District Hospital Foundation
  • Humboldt District Hospital Foundation

This year, in the spirit of giving, Saskatchewan Blue Cross has chosen to make a contribution to Food Banks of Saskatchewan in support of their “Feeding Holiday Cheer” campaign. Support for this initiative helps Food Banks of Saskatchewan meet the increased demand for their services at this time of year – and helps ensure that every family has food on the table this holiday season.



With grateful hearts, we thank you for your continued business which enables us to support important initiatives that support whole health and wellness in our province. From our team at Saskatchewan Blue Cross to yours, we wish you a healthy and happy holiday season.

Email to Plan Administrators


Here's your opportunity to review the information that Plan Administrators will receive from Saskatchewan Blue Cross in the afternoon on Thursday December 15, 2022.

Read the email

Upcoming Closures

Saskatchewan Blue Cross will be closed on the following days:

December 26 & 27, 2022

January 2, 2023


Contact us Today! | If you have any questions, please reach out to us at [email protected].
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