Canada Existence ends up as sole bidder for public assistance wellness strategy contract
The president of the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) claims Canada Existence satisfied the standard to get the agreement for the Public Service Wellness Treatment Prepare even nevertheless it finished up the only bidder.
All-around 1.7 million federal staff, retirees and their dependents saw their insurance coverage company switch from Solar Lifestyle to Canada Existence on July 1.
With the switch arrived modifications to what expert services and prescription drugs are covered, how they’re authorized and what transpires when they want to discuss to an agent. CBC has read hundreds of stories from individuals now owning problems with very long hold out occasions, failing to get by way of to an agent or currently being denied a assert without rationalization.
Treasury Board President Anita Anand said the bidding approach began in 2018 with field engagement, followed by a request for proposals from insurance policies providers. In an email Wednesday afternoon, Public Services and Procurement Canada verified it received three bids in the course of the request for proposal process for the $514 million contract.
“In direction of the stop of the course of action, it turned out that Canada Lifestyle was the only bidder remaining, but it was yet evaluated by people specialized criteria and achieved those people technological conditions,” she reported on CBC Radio’s Ottawa Early morning Wednesday.
“I want to be distinct that there was a standard in position that was achieved by Canada Existence in terms of the scoring of the bids in advance of it was picked.”
Limited-time period fixes coming: Anand
Anand reported she has been “pressing” Canada Lifetime for a plan to solve staff issues and there were three remedies becoming pitched:
- Obtaining contact hold out instances down to involving five and 10 minutes by Dec. 31.
- Having call centres open on weekends for the future various months to slash down the backlog.
- Introducing an escalation procedure for urgent or priority circumstances.
Anand mentioned modifications created to the approach, including declare boundaries and coverage conditions and eligibility, were accredited in the fall of 2022 right after negotiations involving the federal government, bargaining models and the pensioner representatives.
She reported people alterations are compounding the challenges and Canada Life did not anticipate “that there would be so many calls linked to the variations … that arrived into result on the very same day that they took in excess of furnishing company.”
The alterations were independent of the swap to Canada Lifestyle and involved several coverage will increase, while it did introduce new boundaries linked to drug coverage — which includes a cap on dispensing charges and a requirement for a pre-authorization for large-expense medications — and physiotherapy.
Anand reported for individuals who think a denied assert should be protected, there is an attraction approach for users “who do not concur with the final decision relating to their claim.”
Those people appeals are judged on a situation-by-circumstance foundation.
She reported the only matter the federal government can do at this place is enforce the contractual obligations Canada Existence fully commited to when it gained the bid.
We have to have to make confident we “will not generate even worse problems by owning no assistance service provider,” Anand claimed.
“There was one particular bidder and so we have to have to make certain that the latest provider is in a position to offer its products and services as a great deal as efficiently as attainable and as rapidly as possible.”
