When you’re tasked with anything that affects an entire company of people, it can seem daunting. Making decisions on health insurance benefits can take time and energy – those limited and very valuable resources you can’t afford to drain.

How do you know you’ve made the right plan choice? While there are many factors that will weigh into your decision, these may be the most important

  • What kind of coverage do your employees need?
  • Who can help me choose a plan that fits the need and my budget?

What Kind of Coverage Do Your Employees Need?

Health insurance is a safety net to protect your employees against substantial medical expenses not covered by their provincial healthcare plan.

Are you searching for health insurance benefits to

  • Establish a new health insurance plan for all of your employees?
  • Fill in gaps in your current health plan, like lack of dental coverage?
  • Help an employee not eligible for your current company plan?

The health insurance plan you provide will help your employees handle the costs of medical treatments for themselves and their families when they are needed and have access to preventative healthcare tools to help them lead a healthier lifestyle.

Your plan can cover prescription drug costs, dental care costs or both. All plans offer a variety of extended health benefits like

  • Vision
  • Accidental Dental
  • Ambulance Transportation
  • Hearing Aids
  • Home Support Services
  • Medical Items
  • Medical Services
  • Registered Therapists
  • Travel
  • Hospital Accommodation

Who can help me choose the right plan?

Before you choose a plan you need to choose how you will buy your benefit plan.

Buying directly from the insurance company or their agent

If you buy directly from an insurance company or their agent, your choice in coverage will be limited to the options that company offers. It’s like going to a restaurant that only serves burgers. It might be the right choice for some, but it might not offer the kinds of options your employees want.

Buying from an insurance broker (like SBIS)

When it comes to shopping for anything, from groceries to financial services, more people are looking online. Having a do-it-yourself attitude may seem convenient and efficient, but when it comes to a complex product like health insurance you may not get the specific information you need to make the best choice (and you may not even realize it).

Your insurance broker is there to inform and guide you along your journey so you can make the best plan decisions for your employees. Your broker provides you with advice on all your options to make sure you don’t miss anything important. And best of all, that advice if free.

SBIS delivers access to more than one insurer and more than one type of health insurance plan

Your menu of health insurance options at SBIS is expansive. We have dozens of plans to choose from, some with low premiums and several levels of coverage, to more robust plans that cover a large array of services including both health and dental. Through Green Shield, Manulife and GMS, you can find a plan for just about anybody. Take a look at just some of your choices:

Green Shield Prism

Through our partnership with Green Shield, our Prism Plans offer some of the most popular health and dental coverage options available to offset the costs of healthcare items and services not covered by provincial insurance plans, or to top up existing company group health plans where they may fall short for some individuals

  • Prism Spectra Program – These plans are great for those who want to have coverage for a lot of different items and services with high maximums. One thing to keep in mind is that a medical questionnaire is required to qualify, and some exclusions may apply.
  • Prism Precision – This dental and extended health care-focused program is ideal for individuals who have an existing health condition and need coverage. It covers many of the same things as the Prism Spectra plan just with lower maximums, and no questionnaire or medical exam is required so enrolment is guaranteed.
  • Prism Continuum –This is a health care focused plan that you can recommend to employees who are coming off a group plan. Acceptance is guaranteed, provided you apply within 90 days of losing the group plan and it is great for those with pre-existing conditions.

Manulife Plans

One of the oldest insurance providers in Canada, Manulife has offered insurance to millions of Canadians for over 100 years. We are pleased to include their plans with the options we offer our clients. They offer comprehensive coverage for medical and dental services alike.

  • Manulife Association – This plan can be purchased with prescription drug coverage, dental coverage or both and is a great option if your staff need to supplement what the province doesn’t pay. There are different items and services covered and you can choose from several levels of coverage.
  • Manulife Follow-Me – This plan is perfect for those who are coming off a company group insurance plan and need a new one. Acceptance is guaranteed, even with pre-existing conditions, if your employee applies within 90 days of leaving the group plan.
  • Manulife Flexcare – This plan is great for those who just want to supplement what isn’t covered under the provincial insurance plans. This is also a great option for you to offer employees who do not qualify under the employer-sponsored plan. Some plans require a medical questionnaire in order to qualify and some offer guaranteed acceptance.

GMS Plans

GMS has been helping Canadians live well for over 70 years. They offer a variety of coverage options for everyday health needs as well as medical emergencies. Whether you’re looking to cover the basics or need more comprehensive coverage for your retirement, finding the plan that suits your needs is easy. GMS plans offer the convenience of a pay-direct card to present at participating pharmacies, dentists, massage and physiotherapists, psychologists, and more, so they can bill GMS directly for covered costs. No need for you to pay out of pocket!

  • GMS Group Advantage for Small Business – To simplify the selection and reduce the cost of your group benefits package, GMS offers Group Advantage, a health and dental plan specifically designed and attractively priced for small businesses with 3 to 10 employees. Group Advantage plans are designed with premium stability in mind, which means you won’t see a big premium hike when your plan renews. Every plan includes the Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP).
  • Personal Health Coverage – These individual health insurance plans provide employees supplemental coverage options for everyday health needs and medical emergencies by covering a wide variety of services, such as massage and acupuncture and employees can add prescription drug or dental benefits to complete their coverage.
  • Replacement Health Coverage – For retirees, these plans can include coverage for prescription drugs, prescription eye glasses and contact lenses, dental care, travel and more. And with guaranteed acceptance provided you apply within 60 days or losing your group benefits there are no medical questions, enrolling is seamless and hassle-free.

Another important factor to consider: expertise

Some insurance brokers sell all kinds of insurance. But to make a good decision, it is important to work with a broker that has real expertise in health insurance for small business.

At SBIS we are experts in the field of health, dental and travel insurance for over 25 years, so you don’t have to be. We are happy to answer any questions you or your employees may have and set something up for their protection as soon as possible.

We can help you make the right choice for health and dental benefits with just a phone call, and to give you a head start, we have online tools and information on the plans we offer. After you’ve had a chance to check us out online, our customer service professionals can walk you through the decision and purchase process, show you the full costs and explain the details.

You won’t have to worry about going through several people to get answers. You will get free help from a dedicated service representative who will personally take your call and make sure that your questions are addressed right away. Your time is important, which is why we are committed to saving you time and effort.

For many plans, you also don’t have to fill out any paperwork; we take care of it all! Our insurance professionals collect all the necessary details. We provide brochures and other information for both your human resource point person and the employee to review.

Call us today

The end goal for us is to be the best in helping our clients’ find the right health insurance plan that is worth your money and actually suits the needs of your employees.

Call our office Monday to Friday from 8:45 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. Eastern Time at 1-800-667-0429 or 416-601-0429 and we can help make your job of choosing the right health and dental plan for employees easier.