Here’s how the plan works:

1. Use your benefits budget

   First, you’ll receive a dollar-based benefits budget to purchase coverage. The amount you receive will be based on your group and can be used to purchase your financial protection, health and dental benefits.

   Before you spend your benefits budget, make sure you carefully assess your health and wellness needs in order to choose the coverage that’s right for you and your family. When you use your benefits dollars wisely, you’ll get the most bang for your buck.

2. Select your benefits

   A portion of your benefits budget is automatically used to cover you for Life, AD&D (Accidental Death & Dismemberment) and disability insurance. These financial protection benefits remain identical to the current coverage applicable to your group.

   With your remaining benefits budget, you will purchase one of three different coverage levels for each health and dental plan: Economy, Select and Premium. You can select different levels of coverage between health and dental based on you and your family’s needs. For help with your benefit selections, go to Considering your options  under the Enrollment section of this website. If the amount of your selected coverage exceeds the dollars in your benefits budget, the remaining balance will be made through payroll deductions.

   If you have remaining dollars from your benefits budget, they can be deposited to either the Health Care Spending Account (HCSA), the Wellness Account, or both, to be used for eligible expenses.

3. Use your additional spending accounts (if applicable)

   In addition to the dollar-based benefits budget, some groups have access to a fixed annual dollar amount that can be directed to the Health Care Spending Account (HCSA) or Wellness Account or both. You can also deposit any remaining dollars from your benefits budget into these accounts.

   The HCSA and Wellness Account cover a wide variety of life and wellness expenses not covered by our health plan. For more information on these accounts, check out Health Care Spending Account (HCSA) and Wellness Account under the Your plan section of this website.

4. Purchase any optional insurance

   Depending on your group’s coverage or collective agreement, you may be able to purchase additional optional Life and AD&D insurance coverage. You’ll purchase this optional coverage through payroll deductions.