Serving  Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Greater Vancouver, Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley, British Columbia, Canada

With the holiday season fast approaching, now is the time to kick it into high gear at work! Wanting to get everything completed so we can roll into the holidays with no impending doom of the work we didn't complete is of utmost importance to enjoy your time off with friends and family. I know I do not want to be thinking about incomplete projects, or worrying I didn't do enough customer service outreach before the new year while i'm stuffing my face full of Grandma's famous

Chambers Plan is the first in Canada to offer Teledoc® Telemedicine to all groups that hold an Extended Health Care benefit. WHEN YOU NEED A DOCTOR, CALL ONE ANYTIME, ANYWHERE Effective September 1st, and at no additional charge, the employees and their dependents, can consult with a physician about non-urgent medical matters by video conference or by phone*, from wherever you are, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Even when you are out of town! - the service is always accessi

Canada's premier network of health resources, Lumino, will not only help you find a top-rated health care provider near you, but can provide you with multiple health resources such as health articles, news, local health solution companies with discount codes and guides to improve your health and wellness. Visit the website to find a provider near you for services such as: dentistry, paramedical (massage, chiro, naturopath, etc.), vision, medical supplies, pharmacies, family d

As 2019 is just around the corner, we thought we'd recap this past year in this blog post... First of all, THANK YOU! Thank you for your support and patronage. We had another great year here at Avanti Planning Group. Kelvin had a successful first full year with us and we look forward to seeing his business grow in 2019. We also look forward to more magic tricks (if you didn't know - Kelvin is also a magician!). We also introduced Tiffany to the team and she has been a great a

Getting the insurance you need is just a click away! Our website now offers more options with receiving free, immediate quotes for your insurance needs and purchasing a policy online whenever you are ready. No need to make time in your busy schedule to make an appointment with an Insurance Broker. Just grab your computer, head to the website, review your options and purchase. The different Insurance Policies offered are: -Individual Health and Dental Plans -Individual Convers

Sun Life News: Medical cannabis coverage available to Extended Health Benefit as optional coverage

ATTENTION BUSINESS OWNERS INSURED BY THE CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE GROUP INSURANCE PLAN It's that time of year... Time to discuss the Renewal of The Chambers of Commerce Group Insurance Plan. How has your past year been on the plan? Any questions or concerns? Need to do a review of your coverage? What does the year ahead look like with your Chamber coverage? If your Group Insurance Plan is insured by The Chambers of Commerce, then April 1st is the renewal date for your plan. Withi

Happy New Year! It's 2018 and time for another round of "What's your New Year's Resolution?" Whether you are already making strides towards it or you don't believe in these resolutions to begin with, it never really hurts trying to evaluate your life and maybe even looking at what you'd like to improve on. We, at Avanti Planning Group, want to try and be there to help you any way we can, if it's your New Year's Resolution or not. Here are some common goals and how we can prov

Did you know that if a medical emergency happens when you’re travelling out-of-country, provincial health care coverage pays for less than 1

This boutique benefit allows all insured employees – who are placed on a medical wait-list that exceeds 21 day – immediate access to special

Getting married or having a baby are life-changing events. Protect your new family member by updating your Insurance Plan information as soon as you can. Employees have a 60 day window to add a new spouse or dependent with most Insurers. After that they will need to be approved for coverage by the insurance company. This will require health questions to be answered and then assessed. Reach out to us and we can help you navigate the appropriate forms needing to be completed an

Add more flexibility to your coverage with a Chambers Plan Health Spending Account (HSA) Your employees are unique, with different needs and expectations of what benefit plans should offer. Health Spending Accounts are a great way to offer them more flexibility, by providing coverage for health-related expenses that may not be included in their group benefit coverage or to top up existing coverage. Simple and effective, Health Spending Accounts can add flexibility for your em

Have you tried to make a Cost Plus claim with your Insurance Plan and you are unsure what items are eligible? This post is to try and help you navigate that problem so you are making the most of your Plan Benefits. First things first, what is Cost Plus? Cost Plus is a proven, tax-effective means of covering Health, Dental or Vision Care expenses not eligible under your regular Insurance plan. Used correctly it can be considered a Private Health Services Plan (PHSP), recognize

In any given year, 1 in 5 Canadians will suffer from a mental health problem.* Most will suffer in silence. Tap into some of the resources available through your group benefits plan and inform your employees of the options available to them. Not sure where to begin? Here are three ideas (with resources) to give your existing mental health program a boost: Idea #1: Use what you’ve got! Employee Assistance Plans have been around for awhile – are you on top of what yours provide

What is the Dental Fee Guide and how does it relate to your Insurance Plan? When your Insurance Plan renews this year, the Insurance company takes into consideration the changes in the Dental Fee Guide for 2017. What is the Dental Fee Guide? The British Columbia Dental Association (BCDA) produces an annual suggested fee guide for dentists in BC. This document outlines over 1,400 dental codes and code descriptors related to specific elements of dental treatment.(1) How does th

We have resourced this post from Benefits By Design Why you should care if health and dental benefits are taxed: Fewer employers would offer health and dental benefits, choosing instead to simply provide salary and leave coverage up to individuals Benefits would become less flexible in supporting good health (i.e., HCSA’s may no longer make sense, as they would become taxable) Wait times would increase as the public health system becomes flooded with people needing care who h

The changes to employment insurance announced by the Government of Canada took effect on January 1, 2017. The most talked about change is the shortening of the waiting period for employment insurance benefits (including sickness benefits) from two weeks to one week. While claimants are still entitled to the same maximum number of weeks of EI benefits, the waiting period may have indirect implications for workers and employers who have top-up arrangements that supplement EI. R

Have you, your family, or your employees been previously declined health or dental coverage based on medical history? Have you avoided apply

Now that you've hired your new employee, it's time to fill out some paperwork. You have 120 days from the date an employee’s full time employment began to enroll them on the plan. If 120 days lapse and an employee is still not enrolled, they would be considered a Late Applicant at time of enrollment. A Late Applicant is required to provide medical evidence of insurability for themselves and family members and will be subject to medical approval. If approved, a Late Applicant

With school enrolment here again, your Insurance Plan needs current records for over-age dependents who are eligible to receive benefits. These updates and/or changes need to be submitted as soon as possible to ensure your Insurance can process your dependents claims correctly and that you are not covering ineligible dependents. If we do not receive update information: If a dependent reaches the lower age limit in your plan (21 for most plans) but is not identified as a full-