Montridge Financial Group Ltd.

 

Montridge Edge Update

Keeping You Informed
In This Issue
Report Overage Dependent Children
Change to Manitoba Retail Sales Tax
Benefits By Design Updates
Great-West Life Updates
Manulife Updates
Desjardins Updates
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MONTRIDGE
FINANCIAL GROUP
LTD. 


Vancouver: 604.682.1603

Toll-Free: 1.866.682.1603

Facsimilie: 604.682.1621


Suite 1200

1111 West Hastings St.

Vancouver, BC
V6E 2J3
 
October 2013
Summer is Gone...but Don't Let the Winter Blues Win!
Boost Your Energy This Fall Season

Although the sun has mostly retreated for the next several months and the rain has started to fall, it is important to stay positive and not let the cloudy skies cloud your mood!  Here are some simple steps to help retain a sunny disposition:

1. Take advantage of your benefit plan and see an acupuncturist.  This ancient treatment has been used to heal mental and physical ailments and is rapidly gaining popularity in Western cultures.  Professional acupuncture sessions can help release tension, relieve anxiety, and stimulate feelings of peace and clarity.

2. Boost your mood with food!  Certain foods have proven relationships to brain function.  Healthy Omega-3 fatty acids, complex carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, amino acids, and lean protein are essential parts of a healthy diet that can also improve your mood.  Snack on nuts or dark chocolate, feast on turkey or salmon with a spinach and quinoa salad, add colorful vegetables to everything, eat fruit for breakfast, and drink your milk for a happier mood in no time! 

3. Release endorphins through exercise.  Physical activity - both cardio and weight or resistance training - helps tell your brain to produce feel-good chemicals and hormones.  These chemicals help regulate mood, boost energy levels, and improve feelings of contentment.  Working out on a regular basis can help give your brain a steady supply of feel-good chemicals to keep you happy all winter long.

4. Talk it out.  Another feature of your benefit plan may include psychology appointments. To further relieve feelings of depression and sadness during the winter months, try talking about it. Sometimes just letting others know about your pain or unhappiness can help reduce the mental burden you are carrying.   

source: fitnessgoop.com

Benefits by Design - Quarterly Updates      
 
BBD Partners with ClearlyContacts.ca

BBD is excited to announce that effective October 1, 2013, ClearlyContacts.ca has partnered with Green Shield as a new vision care provider.

Plan members with vision benefits will now receive an extra 25% on their next vision purchase through ClearlyContacts.ca, to a maximum of $50.00 per family member.  If a member has already used a portion of their vision care allowance, it will be prorated at the time of claim adjudication. 

   

Desjardins - Quarterly Updates     
 
New Travel Solution App for Mobile

Desjardins has introduced a new one-of-a-kind mobile app for plan members.  Personalized tools and interactive assistance services include:
  • Health records - medications, illnesses, allergies, etc.
  • Multilingual Translation Engine - for ease in communicating with those you meet abroad 
  • 24/7 Emergency Service - including help finding the nearest hospital

The app works with Apple and Android devices and is free to download. 

Great-West Life - Quarterly Updates   

Welcome Plan Rates to Decrease in 2014

For the third year in a row, rates for the Welcome Plan will decrease by 10 percent.  The Welcome Plan allows individuals in the waiting period for MSP, or who don't qualify for MSP, to claim expenses MSP would normally cover.    

The new rates will be effective January 1, 2014 and will apply to existing members on the plan as well as new members from that date on. 

For more information on the Welcome Plan, contact Montridge today.

Compression Hose Customary Prices Changing

Effective November 1, 2013, GWL will update the customary prices used for compression hose claims.  All claims received on or after this date, regardless of the expense date, will be adjudicated using the updated prices. 

Benefits will be determined according to the compression factor of the
hose, which is measured in millimetres of mercury (mmhg). The following
limits will apply (in some cases, a range is provided, since prices will vary by province):
* Hose with a compression factor of 15 to 20 millimetres of mercury
(mmhg) - $50 per pair, per person
* Hose with a compression factor higher than 20 mmhg - from $180
to $225 per pair, per person
* Custom-made compression hose - from $330 to $375 per pair, per
person

Plan members also need to provide a prescription from their doctor as well as the make/model of hose to ensure no delay in claim processing. 
Manulife - Quarterly Updates   

  

Encourage Your Members to Sign Up Online &  

Have the Chance to Win $1,000 to Future Shop 

 

Beginning September 23 to December 1, 2013, Manulife is running a contest to encourage plan members to sign up online and go paperless. 

Manulife will hold weekly draws for $1,000 Future Shop gift cards.

The online plan member site allows employees to sign up for direct deposit, submit claims online, and check benefit balances.  Members can sign up at www.manulife.ca.   
 

Fresher, User-Friendly Plan Administrator Site to Launch December 2013  

 

Plan administrators will notice a significant difference in how the PA Secure Site will look this December. A Message Centre alerting you to important information/reminders and a Learning Centre with excellent sources of benefits educational material are just a couple of the new features.

 

The optimized site will support a variety of browsers, including IE7 and above, Firefox, Chrome and Safari. The site will also be accessible from all mobile devices, allowing you the choice of Internet-enabled devices to access the site.

    

New Dental Adjudication Rules Effective 

November 2013

 

As part of Manulife's ongoing focus on claims management, the following dental administrative practices will be incorporated into the automated claims system on November 1, 2013: 

 

> Desensitization will no longer be eligible for benefit coverage when performed at a hygiene appointment;

 

> Charges for hemorrhage control will not be considered covered expenses when oral surgery, periodontal surgery, basic restorative services or endodontic services (root canal) are billed on the same date;

 

> Only one periodontal appliance (upper or lower) will be eligible when both are submitted within 60 days of one another. In addition, Manulife will not approve periodontal appliances for children aged 16 and under.

 

If you have any questions on these new dental adjudication rules, don't hesitate to contact your Montridge advisor.

 

Sun Life Financial - Quarterly Updates   

Sun Life Mobile 2.0 Lands September 2013

The first to introduce a mobile app to the group insurance market, Sun Life is pleased to announce the release of their new and improved mobile app.  Members will now be able to see enhanced health benefit coverage information, health spending account balances, and vision coverage information.

The app is compatible with Apple, Android and BlackBerry devices and is free to download.   
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Disclaimer
This newsletter is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific personalized advice including, without limitation, investment, financial, legal, accounting or tax advice.  All information and opinions contained in this newsletter are obtained from various sources and are believed to be true and dependable; however, accuracy of content is not guaranteed and is not to be read or applied as professional advice.