Health, dental & life insurance
樱花影视 employees have extensive group health, dental and life insurance coverage through Pacific Blue Cross. While the particulars of your plan can be accessed through the PBC member portal, review current premiums and benefit booklets here.
Provincial health care plans
All BC residents must enroll in the Medical Services Plan.
If you are new to Canada, apply for MSP as soon as you arrive. Your coverage may start three months after your arrival date in British Columbia. You should get private health care insurance while you wait.
If you are moving from another province, arrange for coverage with your former medical plan during the wait period. Wait period for family members will being on their individual arrival dates.
Medically necessary hospital benefits are included in the BC Medical Services plan.
The online MSP application takes about 15 minutes. You will be asked to upload digital images of identification documents for everyone on your application, including their name and Canadian citizenship or immigration status for all persons.
PharmaCare provides financial assistance to BC residents for eligible prescription drugs and designated medical supplies.
If you are a BC resident and enrolled with the Medical Services Plan (MSP), you must register you family to receive your maximum financial assistance under Fair PharmaCare. Once registered, the PharmaNet program will track all prescriptions purchased in BC and automatically cover 70 per cent of eligible prescription drug costs which exceed your family's deductible in a calendar year. Prescription drugs not covered by the Fair PharmaCare program may be eligible for reimbursement through the University's Extended Health Benefits plan.
UVic extended health & dental plans
All UVic continuing employees have extensive health, dental and life insurance coverage. Part-time or term employees may be covered; specific coverage will vary based on your collective agreement.
Enrolment is required for all eligible employees.
Below is a summary of extended health and dental plans for UVic employee groups. Our group policy for extended health & dental is 40704.
- Grant funded staff
- Agency managed staff
- Faculty
- Librarians
- CUPE 917
- CUPE 951
- CUPE 4163
- Exempt Support
- PEA
- ME
- Executives (non-faculty)
- Physicians
- External management
- TRIUMF Engineers & Technicians
Post-doctoral fellows
Submit claims
Pacific Blue Cross administers UVic extended health, dental, basic life, and optional life insurance coverage. Login to their member portal to view plan details, coverage and claim history, or submit a new claim. The policy number can be found on UVic Online Tools.
Watch videos on the for answers to frequently asked questions such as:
- Differences in generic and brand name drugs
- Understanding deductibles
- Pre-existing conditions
- Submitting claims
Life insurance plans
Basic group life insurance
All eligible regular employees are required to enroll in the Basic Group Life Insurance plan immediately upon employment.
Optional group life insurance
You and your legal spouse or common-law partner have the option of joining the plan, subject to providing evidence of insurability satisfactory to Pacific Blue Cross. Plan members pay the full premium for this coverage; rates vary according to the amount of coverage chosen, age, and whether plan members are smokers or non-smokers. Spousal rates are based on the employee's age.
Apply for Optional Group Life Insurance:
- Submit the enrolment form to benefits@uvic.ca
- Submit the Statement of Health directly to Pacific Blue Cross (PBC)
Once PBC receives the Statement of Health, PBC Member Administration confirms the Applicant's Evidence of Insurability (EOI) within 10 business days. Once confirmed, the application will be sent to PBC Medical Underwriting to determine if further medical information is required or to provide a decision.
- PBC may request additional information via email, including additional medical documentation; this may cause delay in the approval decision
- Email medunderwriting@pac.bluecross.ca for application updates
Once approved, PBC will inform the UVic Benefits Office. If the application is declined, PBC will inform the UVic Benefits Office and send you a letter indicating why the application was denied and outlining your options for appeal.
Premiums
Premiums vary based on employee group, and whether your spouse or family is covered under your plan.
Click the links below for current premiums and coverage for your benefit plan:
Travel for work or leisure
Disclaimer
This outline is for information purposes only; it is not a contract. Plan terms and conditions are governed by policy contract number 40704 with Pacific Blue Cross. In the event of a discrepancy between the information provided on this web site and the policy contract, benefits will be paid in accordance with the policy contract.
You must be registered and enrolled in the benefit plans to receive the coverage under the plans. Coverage under the 樱花影视 benefit plans is not automatic. It is the sole responsibility of the traveller to ensure that they are enrolled in the 樱花影视 plans and have appropriate coverage in place based on their personal circumstances and their travel destination.
Faculty and staff who are covered under 樱花影视 extended health plans should review travel information prior to departure, whether their trip is for work or leisure.
Before you go:
Know what you are covered for
While traveling or on vacation outside British Columbia, benefits are payable for eligible expenses incurred in an emergency only and when ordered by the attending Physician. Non-emergency continuing care, testing, treatment, and surgery, and amounts covered by any government plan and/or any other provider of health coverage are not eligible. Review benefit plan information to know your coverage limits.
Emergency means a sudden unexpected injury or an acute episode of disease that requires immediate treatment or surgery. If further treatment or surgery is required the severity of the condition must be such that it would not allow the patient to be returned to BC for treatment.
is provided to faculty/staff members who sustain injuries arising out of and in the course of their employment out-of-province; however, coverage does not extend to all activities that the worker might participate in while travelling.
Obtain all required approvals before you leave on University approved business, such as: placement agreements, research or work agreements at partner universities and authorization for travel and budget before you go. Review WorkSafeBC regulations and UVic policies related to accidents and injury.
While traveling on approved University business (excluding everyday travel to and from work), you are covered by group accident insurance in the event of accidental death or dismemberment. Employees eligible for benefit plan coverage, are automatically covered at no cost. The university pays the full premium.
This plan provides coverage up to $100,000 in the event of your accidental death or dismemberment within 365 days of, and as a result of, an accident occurring while you are travelling on approved University business.
Travel medical insurance
You should ensure that the insurance policy is “first payer”. First payer means that your policy will pay any eligible claims first; your UVic extended health plan will then pay any expenses not covered by your purchased policy. This helps protect your lifetime financial limit under the UVic plan. If your policy is not first payer and you have a claim, your policy will require your UVic extended health plan to pay first, and then your purchased policy will pay any claim not covered by your extended health plan.
Pacific Blue Cross (PBC) offers individual travel benefits at a discounted rate for plan members. Unlike some insurers, Pacific Blue Cross is first payer in the event of an out of country claim. This protects the lifetime limit on your Extended Health Plan.
Please note: Travel Insurance and Extended Health policies often have limitations of coverage associated with accidents or diseases arising from travel to a location where the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs has issued a travel advisory or health warning advising Canadians not to travel to this country, region or city.
Coverage limitations and/or exclusions would apply if the advisory is in place prior to purchase of the policy. However, if you have already left on your trip when the advisory is issued, you would be covered should something unforeseen arise.
It is important you review the government’s website for such advisories prior to booking your vacation.
Travel accident insurance
All eligible regular staff are automatically enrolled immediately upon employment, at no cost to the employee. This plan provides coverage up to $100,000 in the event of your accidental death or dismemberment with 365 days of, and as a result of, an accident occurring while you are travelling on approved University business. Death benefits from this plan will be paid to your estate; dismemberment benefits will be paid to you.
The policy does not cover any loss caused or contributed to by suicide or attempted suicide, any act of war, or full-time service in the armed forces. Travel in an aircraft is not covered if the aircraft does not have a certificate of air worthiness or is not operated by a duly licensed pilot. Travel in any aircraft owned, leased or operated by the University or an employee of the University is not covered.
Plan carrier:
Citade General Assurance Company
Policy no. 6998790
c/o Accounting Services
University of British Columbia
Medical emergencies
In the event of a medical emergency while you are outside BC, you and your eligible dependents are covered for emergency travel assistance services called Medi-Assist, through PBC’s travel benefit provider, CanAssistance. Medi-Assist must be contacted within 24 hours of the emergency to avoid delayed or refused claims. For full information on Medi-Assist services, please refer to PBC’s extended health plan booklet for your employee group and review the .
In emergencies which occur while you (and your eligible dependents) are traveling, Medi-Assist will coordinate the following services:
- Notify Pacific Blue Cross to expedite claims payment
- Connect you with qualified legal services
- Help with lost baggage or stolen documents/money
- Put you in touch with qualified licensed physicians and medical services
- Help to contact your family or business partners
- Assist with transfer of patient from one facility to another, or return of patient to home province
- Arrange consular assistance and travel advice
- Assist with arrangement of repatriation of remains in the event of a death