Pacific Blue Cross launches new Personal Health Insurance in partnership with BC Women’s Health Foundation
Tuesday, May 9, 2023Pacific Blue Cross announced an enhanced Personal Health Insurance Health and Dental plan that will include family planning benefits, incorporating fertility drugs, fertility treatments and adoption.
The new and improved plan will make Pacific Blue Cross the first and only provider in Canada to offer family planning benefits in an individual health and dental plan.
The Personal Health Insurance plan has been developed in partnership with BC Women’s Health Foundation (BCWHF). BCWHF supported the development of this plan from iteration to launch, providing valuable insights to women’s health throughout the process and helped us design benefits that promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I). Together, we are working to ensure that all women have equitable access to the highest quality healthcare when, where and how they need it.
“Family planning is a deeply personal and challenging topic for many British Columbians. At Pacific Blue Cross, we want to ensure future generations have access to the necessary support if and when they need it by helping them to start planning now. We are proud to launch the enhanced Personal Health Insurance plan for families in our markets,” said Sarah Hoffman, President and CEO of Pacific Blue Cross. “We are committed to delivering products that promote health equity and are proud to be partnering with BC Women’s Health Foundation to drive this work forward.”
For British Columbians who do not have coverage under an employee-sponsored group plan and are planning for a family in the future, the new Personal Health Insurance plan can help cover out-of-pocket costs not included in their government health plan. Roughly one in six couples in Canada experience infertility, a number that the Public Health Agency of Canada says has doubled since the 1980s. Meanwhile, the average cost in Canada for one round of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments is between $10,000 and $20,000.
“You can’t discuss women’s healthcare without talking about equity,” says Cally Wesson, President and CEO of BC Women’s Health Foundation. “The new Pacific Blue Cross Personal Health Insurance plan centralizes equity at its core. Supporting Canadians throughout their family planning journey is an innovative approach that will make a huge difference in people’s lives.”
The new Personal Health Insurance plan is designed to provide well-rounded support for British Columbians in their future family planning, with coverage for the everyday and the extraordinary. In addition to health and dental, the plan offers one of one of the most comprehensive coverage options for prescription drugs and mental health support. New and expecting parents also get access to additional physiotherapy and psychology services with the New Parent Boost, and all levels of the plan include out-of-country travel and life insurance. The revamped plan was designed with a flexible and tailored approach, with different coverage levels to ensure it grows with you through each phase of life.
To learn more about the new Personal Health Insurance plan, please visit our website.
For more information, please contact:
Pacific Blue Cross
mediarelations@pac.bluecross.ca