Coverage Tips

Universal Drug Care - NB (Benefit Tips ® - © 2014)

Update: November 2014

The mandatory nature of this dictum has been repealed and compliance will be voluntary.

Situation: December 2013

New Brunswick has proposed legislation that would extend their provincial drug plan to all residents rather than just low-income seniors and those on social assistance. Employees with equivalent private or employee benefit coverage may opt out of the public universal drug plan when it becomes mandatory April 1, 2015.

The 20% of residents who do not have drug coverage will be forced to pay a $67-$167 monthly premium for the public plan depending on their income. The residents that have drug coverage through their employer that does not satisfy the requirements of the public universal drug plan will lose their drug, dental, vision and medical benefits and be forced to join the public plan.

The Prescription and Catastrophic Drug Insurance Act will require employers to either provide drug coverage equivalent to the public universal drug plan or not provide any health benefits (drug, dental, vision, medical) to New Brunswickers.

It is your choice whether to give your New Brunswick staff the plan that their politicians have designed or not. Unfortunately, they have raised the stakes to an all-or-nothing gambit.

Many small businesses have taken control of their benefit costs by putting limits on each component of their plan. Others, disillusioned with insurance, have eliminated all inflation risk by moving to a health spending account (www.healthspending.com). These employers will likely exclude their New Brunswick staff just like they excluded their Quebec staff back in 1997 when a similar requirement was introduced by RAMQ.

Employers who would like to provide health benefits for their New Brunswick staff will need to adjust their plan to satisfy the provincial requirements of unlimited drug coverage, no any cohabitation requirement for spouses and no age limit for employees or spouses.

Regulated Medical Professionals (Benefit Tips ® - © 2015)

Overview

Provincial health insurance covers the cost of many medically necessary services performed by physician, nurses, technicians and other health care professionals. In situations where the provincial plan does not cover the cost of a medical service it may be covered by your employee benefit plan.

Paramedical Services

The eligibility of medical expenses is limited by the Income Tax Act, Regulation and Canada Revenue Agency interpretations. The Act specifically lists some medical professionals (audiologist, dentist, medical doctor, nurse, occupational therapist, optometrist, pharmacist, physiotherapist, psychologist, speech-language pathologist) as well as more general terms to include the ever-changing list of regulated or authorized medical practitioners. Each province and territory enacts laws to licence and govern medical practitioners that operate in their jurisdiction and only services performed by those regulated medical practitioners are eligible.

Regulated Medical Professionals
Profession Jurisdictions Where Regulated Note 2
Acupuncturist AB BC     NL       ON   QC    
Audiologist AB BC MB NB NL       ON   QC SK  
Chiropodist     MB NB         ON        
Chiropractor AB BC MB NB NL NS     ON PE QC SK YT
Combined lab and x-ray technologist AB                        
Counselling therapist           NS              
Dental assistant AB   MB NB NL NS       PE   SK  
Dental hygienist AB BC MB NB NL NS NT NU ON PE QC SK YT
Dental nurse     MB                    
Dental technician or technologist AB BC MB NB NL NS     ON   QC SK  
Dental therapist         NL   NT NU       SK YT
Dentist AB BC MB NB NL NS NT NU ON PE QC SK YT
Denturist, dental mechanic, denturologist AB BC MB NB NL NS NT NU ON PE QC SK YT
Dietician AB BC MB NB NL NS     ON PE QC SK  
Emergency medical technician AB BC               PE   SK  
Hearing aid practitioner AB BC MB   NL           QC    
Kinesiologist                 ON        
Licensed or registered practical nurse AB BC MB NB NL NS NT NU ON PE QC SK YT
Marriage and family therapist                     QC    
Medical laboratory technologist AB   MB NB NL NS     ON   QC SK  
Medical radiation technologist AB     NB   NS     ON   QC SK  
Midwife AB BC MB NB   NS NT NU ON   QC SK  
Naturopath AB BC MB     NS     ON     SK  
Occupational therapist AB BC MB NB NL NS     ON PE QC SK  
Ophthalmic medical assistant             NT NU          
Optician AB BC MB NB NL NS     ON PE QC SK  
Optometrist AB BC MB NB NL NS NT NU ON PE QC SK YT
Pharmacist AB BC MB NB NL NS NT NU ON PE QC SK YT
Physician AB BC MB NB NL NS NT NU ON PE QC SK YT
Physiotherapist or physical therapist AB BC MB NB NL NS     ON PE QC SK YT
Podiatrist AB BC MB NB         ON   QC SK  
Professional technologist in orthoses/prostheses                     QC    
Psychological associate   BC MB           ON        
Psychologist AB BC MB NB NL NS NT NU ON PE QC SK  
Registered massage therapist or massage therapist Note 1 BC   NB NL       ON        
Registered nurse or nurse practitioner AB BC MB NB NL NS NT NU ON PE QC SK YT
Registered nursing assistant     MB       NT       QC    
Registered nutritionist AB     NB   NS         QC    
Registered psychiatric nurse AB BC MB                 SK YT
Respiratory therapist AB   MB NB NL NS     ON   QC SK  
Sexologist                     QC    
Social worker AB BC MB NB NL NS     ON PE QC SK  
Speech language pathologist AB BC MB NB NL       ON   QC SK  
Surgeon AB BC MB NB NL NS NT NU ON PE QC SK YT
Traditional Chinese medicine practitioner   BC             ON        

Notes:

1. Alberta has been working toward regulation and since 2011 four associations have been providing some degree of self-regulation which will be considered for the purposes of approving massage therapy claims until the legislative process is complete.

  • London and Counties Society of Physiologists
  • Massage Therapist Association of Alberta (MTAA)
  • Remedial Massage Therapists Association (RMTA)
  • Natural Health Practitioners of Canada (NHPC) provided the therapist has met either 2,200 hours of formal education for the 2,200-hour competency equivalency requirement

2. Table key

Abbreviation Province or Territory
AB Alberta
BC British Columbia
MB Manitoba
NB New Brunswick
NL Newfoundland and Labrador
NS Nova Scotia
NT Northwest Territories
NU Nunavut
ON Ontario
PE Prince Edward Island
QC Quebec
SK Saskatchewan
YT Yukon