Sheila Bautz
Daily Herald
Recently, the Saskatchewan Blue Cross launched a Retiree Plan and strategy for residents who are approaching early retirement or preparing for retirement from their existing employment.
The new insurance plan is exclusively available to all residents of Saskatchewan aged 50 years and older. It aims to create a peaceful transition into what is now considered middle age.
As a result, there is a new way to continue to receive healthcare insurance and travel benefits after leaving a group insurance during this transitional stage in life. Many individuals are also choosing to shift into multiple careers throughout their lifetime or turning hobbies into passive income upon retirement.
“Retirement isn’t a one-size-fits-all journey, and your retirement health plan shouldn’t be either,” says Kelly Wilson, President and CEO of Saskatchewan Blue Cross. “With unparalleled flexibility our new Retiree Plan adapts seamlessly to diverse health needs and financial situations and removes barriers to access by eliminating health questionnaires that exclude pre-existing conditions from coverage.”
Saskatchewan Blue Cross was founded in 1946 by seven doctors who wanted the best for Saskatchewan patients and residents. The goal was to ensure everyone had equal access to important healthcare.
“Our world and the insurance industry is moving faster than it ever has before and as I look toward the future of Saskatchewan Blue Cross, I’m struck with a sense of both gratitude and excitement,” stated Shelley Vandenberg in 2021, past President & CEO of Saskatchewan Blue Cross. “Gratitude for a rich 75-year history in our province that began in 1946 when we first opened our doors as a non-profit organization. Back then, we were just seven doctors who saw a better path – we helped lay the foundation for health insurance in Saskatchewan. Now, we proudly support more than 200,000 individuals and more than 1,200 employers access essential health, wellness and travel services. At our core, we’re empowering our communities on their journey to whole health and wellness.”
The Saskatchewan Blue Cross insurance company offers pre-existing packages to select from. This provides insurance holders with a choice between the three tier insurance premiums, which are categorized as Basic, Classic and Enhanced. Within the three premiums, there are 36 plan combinations that allow applicants the power to match their health and financial needs with a customized healthcare insurance policy.
To be eligible for the Blue Cross Retiree plan coverage, an application must begin within 90 days after the end of a group benefits insurance package.
“We’re reinventing key parts of our business through digitization, new product and service agility, and a suite of new tools to enable stronger relationships with our advisor partners and our members,” said the past-President and CEO, Vandenberg. “We’re evolving while staying true to what’s made us so special over the years: being local means that we care deeply about building impactful relationships and investing in the wellbeing of the communities we call home.”
There is a robust health insurance package available with extended insurance benefit coverage for Blue Cross policy holders. The expansive drug coverage includes options for vaccinations and smoking cessation supports. Other options include physiotherapy, annual eye exams, virtual care on demand and enhanced mental wellness supports, such as coverage for up to 20 counselling sessions. Additionally, a Blue Cross member can include dental coverage and Life Smart Coaching.
With today’s technology, the access to healthcare information and choosing self-care, an individual’s quality of life can extend and prosper well into their senior years, such as their 80’s and 90’s. Various reports and research demonstrates that people entering their 50’s is comparable to entering their middle age years due to medical advancements. Experts state that 50 is the new 40. How stress levels are managed, along with other factors, contribute to the aging process.
In a NBC News broadcast dated June 8, 2005, experts Warren Sanderson of the University of New York in Stony Brook and Sergei Scherbov from the Vienna Institute of Demography at the Austrian Academy of Sciences released statements on their findings about the aging process. They predicted that by 2050, the age of 52 will be considered the entry into middle age instead of the age of 40.
In 2024, the University of Florida released research with public statements in their academic article entitled 50 Is the New 40: Dissecting the Gap Between Chronological Age and Perceived Age.
“If you are 60 and you feel 60 (or older), you may be less likely to partake in long walks or take an afternoon ride on the exercise bike. Why? Because you’re allowing your age to dictate what you’re capable of doing physically,” stated the University of Florida researchers in a public statement. “However, leaving your biological age behind, adopting a younger perceived age and allowing your body to do as much physical activity as it wants may prove to you that you’re most certainly younger than you are.”
Over the next five years in Saskatchewan, there are approximately 135,000 residents who are planning to retire from their current employment. There is also the reality of the rising cost of healthcare and the changing wellness needs that can create worrisome situations. However, the Saskatchewan Blue Cross is providing the new incentive for insurance that ensures some of the healthcare financial costs are alleviated for Saskatchewan residents.
The insurance coverage creates confidence in those nearing the next stage of their lives. With advancements in medical research, the new Retiree Plan guarantees that all applicants will be accepted who qualify.
“We’re proud to empower retirees with a plan that supports their well-being every step of the way,” said Wilson, the present President and CEO of Saskatchewan Blue Cross, “Through innovative services like virtual care, preventative wellness programs, comprehensive coverage and a commitment to providing benefits that support holistic, proactive healthcare.”
The Retiree Plan is different from other healthcare plans as it offers the ultimate flexibility. It offers expanded travel protection with $5 million worth of out-of-province and out-of-country emergency medical coverage available. There are no medical questionnaires or pre-existing conditions that will exclude qualifying applicants.
Saskatchewan Blue Cross is a not-for-profit organization trusted by generations of Saskatchewan residents. The insurance company understands and integrates with provincial health programs, ensuring that policy holders receive the maximum value from their benefits plan and government plans that they are eligible for.
Saskatchewan Blue Cross is a member of the Canadian Association of Blue Cross Plans with International links to various healthcare providers through the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and the International Federation of Health Funds.
