Updated: October 23, 2024
Whether you’re newly retired or already reaping its benefits, here are a few new things to know about our Retiree plan as you prepare for or continue to enjoy this exciting, and most importantly, carefree phase of life.
Travel
Despite current restrictions, travel is still a very exciting plus of retirement and we hope it’s something you intend to do. As a result of customer feedback, we’re excited to share that we’ve increased the number of travel days on Retiree enhanced and enhanced+ plans, from 45 and 60 days to 60 and 90 days WITHOUT a rate increase.
Location
Should you decide to retire somewhere new, and maybe a little warmer, our national Retiree plan will protect you anywhere you decide to go within Canada. Keep in mind, rates are dependent on which province you choose to retire or reside in.
Perks (because retirement is full of them)
Our Individual Assistance Program is available for all levels of our Retiree plan, which includes everything from retirement planning to nutrition management. As well, Balance®, our online wellness program, will help you maintain your health and wellness into retirement.
To learn more about the Retiree plan, contact us at 1-800-563-6910 or visit our website.
Balance® is a registered mark of the Canadian Association of Blue Cross Plans®, an association of independent Blue Cross® plans.
Always go to get more information and it’s the same old thing – a phone number.
Hi Carol,
We just sent you an email 🙂
Hey I tried to find information on nutrition management as per above but couldn’t find it . Help please.
Thanks
Al
Hi Al,
You can find more information on and to access our Individual Assistance Program by visiting ab.bluecross.ca/iap. If you haven’t already, you’ll need to follow the prompts to sign up and then you will be able to search for nutrition management information.
Way too expensive for us. We pay $317.00 per month for premiums.
Hi Dale,
We’d be happy to explore alternative coverage options with you. Please call us at 1-800-661-6995.
So where is the info ???? all I see is a phone number…
Hi Annette,
You can learn more about the plan here: ab.bluecross.ca/individuals-families/retiree-plan.php
Hi Cynthia,
If you are on an individual plan that does not include the travel benefit, you can look at purchasing travel insurance separately by calling 1-800-661-6995 and asking to speak to a travel specialist. You can also apply online now with these new enhancements. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic we are not currently selling travel coverage, but you can still call in to speak to a travel representative if you’re looking for information for the future.
I am wondering that with the movement to medicinal CBD oils will Blue Cross take that into their coverage now or in the future
Hi Alfred,
At this time, medicinal CBD oils are not considered therapeutic drug products by Health Canada; as such, there is no coverage for these oils on the retiree plan.
I am a 63 in 4 months and asthma is a very common ailment, so why is B.C. not covering my generic singular which stops me from having attacks and no need for any inhalers??? And where do I find a list of drugs you do pay for ???
Hi Mary,
Plan members have the ability to log onto our member website and use our drug look-up tool to see if a specific drug is covered under your plan.
Hi Mary,
Please check your email as we’ll need your full name and plan number ID to see what plan you are currently on and check whether another plan option could meet your needs. You can find a list of drugs covered by signing in to our member site or by calling our Customer Service team at 1-800-661-6995.
Why wasn’t there an increase in travel days for the A plan. If you’re raising the our two to 60 and 90 , surely the A plan could have been raised to 45. Plus we are back to paying full premiums and travel isn’t really an option in the near future.
Hi Diane,
Our members asked that we cover trips longer than 60 days and we were able to increase travel days in level B and C without have a rate increase, but unfortunately this was not the case for level A. If you’d like to chat with someone about changing your coverage levels please let us know.
Currently the Government of Canada Travel advisory is still at a level 3 and we will require the level to be reduced to a level 2 before we can sell travel insurance again. There was a premium reduction for the months of May, June and July as individuals had limited access to all benefits for health, dental and travel during that period. We appreciate your feedback and let us know if there’s anything else we can assist you with.
Could you please tell me why cover fentinal patches and not butran patches ? Most Dr’s wont prescribe anything to do with fentinal.
Hi Kathy,
We just sent you an email, please check your inbox.
At our present age in the 70’s and without any income, our coverage payment is way too expensive for us. Is there a lower premium you can provide with our current coverage? Thank you.
Hi Ben,
We just sent you an email, please check your inbox 🙂
I pay for senior coverage on a quarterly basis. I have decided to cancel my policy after the first month of the new quarter. Will I receive a refund for the remaining two months’ premiums?
Hi Reuban,
We require a little more information from you to answer this question. Please check your email 🙂
I am paying monthly on a Seniors Plan D. Are the any benefits forthcoming for travelling within Canada or outside of Canada?
Hi Cornelius, we don’t have a travel benefit on the Senior Plus plan, however there are other current Individual Plans you might want to consider which includes a travel benefit. Once we start selling Travel insurance again, you can always apply for it separately as well. Thank you!
I just enrolled under my employer plan. I received confirmation my enrolment was successful. I’m trying to view my plan system tells me I must use the mobile site to access the plan. I downloaded the Blue Cross Moble App but still not able to access the plan . Pls help. Thanks
Hi David, we’d be happy to walk you through our mobile and online sites. Please give our team a call at 1-800-661-6995. Thanks!
Hi there:
My wife and I will b retiring soon and we are planning to retire in Florida, where we will be spending winter. There is a Blue Cross in FL, do we have coverage as well under the same policy?
Hi Hernan, thanks for reaching out. The Blue Cross in Florida is a separate entity from us so you would not receive coverage under the same policy. If you have further questions on this please contact our team at 1-800-394-1965. Thank you
I’m retiring at the end of the year and my employer have benefits like Health spending account and Security health care plan, how different is the retirement plan or is it a cheaper alternative than SCHP.
Hi Miguel, in order to recommend the best plan for you we’d like to learn more about your benefit needs. Please give us a call at 1-800-394-1965 to chat further or complete our contact card and we’ll have someone reach out! https://www.ab.bluecross.ca/contact-us.php
I rec’d an email to allocate my spending account. Now there is no way to do this on the website even though I am in. Also there is extremely outdated information in my account
Hi Laurette, please give our team a call at 1-800-661-6995 and we can provide more inforamtion.
I just received an email from Blue Cross stating that you are re-vamping your customer service area. It stated that call wait times could be significantly longer, as you try to answer all client inquiries on the first phone call, rather than multiple phone calls. My question is: will you or is it possible to have a ‘call me back’ type of option instead of waiting hours on the phone for a customer representative to acknowledge my call? In my experience, many companies offer this type of ‘call back’ feature which is a very good way to get in touch with you and not get frustrated with waiting on hold. Thanks very much.
Hi Scott, thank you for sharing this feedback with us. We have passed it along to our customer services team in hopes it can help enhance our customer experiences!
I retired a month ago, now I cannot even do an online claim. Is my health spending account inaccesible anymore?
Hi Benny, we’ve sent you an email to get a bit more info from you so we can answer your question in detail 🙂
why does my coverage say it pays 80% of my prescriptions and they are not. I logged my din# in for my generic asthma pills and it says they are eligible for payment yet B.C. does not pay. I pay 150.00 a month for prescription coverage and am paying up to 300.00 a month on prescriptions, so thats 500.00 a month so this is not working out for this 63 yr old. I am going to look for some where that actually pays and quit this, it’s ridiculous
Hi Mary, please give our team a call at 1-800-661-6995 and we can look in to this for you.
trying to find claim for on website to claim expense for Contour Next glucose test strips. I purchased in Sept 2021, not knowing they had been added to coverage
Hello Gail, you can claim this by logging in to the member site and choosing submit a claim. Then follow the prompts to submit this health claim. If you have any troubles or have more questions please contact us directly at 1-800-661-6995. Thanks!
I cannot believe that Alberta Blue Cross for Seniors does not cover the cost of Freestyle Libre continuous glucose monitors for type 1 diabetics. This is a necessity in maintaining good diabetic control and a lifesaver for people that have hypoglycemic unawareness. This is covered in some provinces but not Alberta.