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The mandatory nature of this dictum has been repealed and compliance will be voluntary.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