COVID-19 Update: PPE and HSA Credits
RBC Insurance® continues to support you and your clients with COVID-19 related issues. From mental health support to the extension of student coverage, and premium credits for dental and extended health care benefits, we’re committed to helping your clients and their employees get through this crisis.
Personal Protective Equipment
As the country has opened up and health and dental providers have started to take in-person appointments, we’ve started to see some providers charging their clients for personal protective equipment (PPE). We want to take this opportunity to update you and your clients on our stance on these fees and ensure you are aware that PPE is not considered a standard eligible expense under our health and dental plans. As a result, the portion of claims related to PPE will not be reimbursed, however, plan members can be reimbursed for these fees through their Health Spending Accounts (HSA) or Cost Plus. Plan sponsors also have the option of adding this coverage to their plan.
Health Care Spending Account
As COVID-19 has impacted the availability of health services in the last few months, plan members with a Health Spending Account (HSA) may find themselves in a position where they are unable to use their allocated credits. Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has recently advised that plan sponsors are now permitted to carry forward HSA credits, for an additional period of 12 months, enabling them the option of providing their employees with additional time to use their HSA credits, should they chose to do so.
Next steps
If your clients would like their employee PPE costs covered under their EHC or dental benefits, or be able to provide their employees with additional time to use their HSA credits, we ask that they notify you. If no action is taken, PPE costs will continue to not be reimbursed and HSA credits will expire as per your contract.
We’ll be sharing this great news with plan sponsors on August 25th in the attached communication.
Questions?
If you have any further questions on how RBC Insurance can support your clients and their employees, please feel free to reach out to us at any time. Your RBC Insurance Group Sales Consultant and their team are here – virtually – to support you. Call us at 1-855-264-2174.