Gary Sawatzky | Chief Operating Officer , ARTA

As ARTA reaches its sixtieth year , it ’ s worth reflecting on one of the greatest perks offered to members — the ARTA Benefit Plans .

In 1993 , ARTA ’ s executives began investigating the possibility of providing a benefit plan to members , including health , hospital , and travel insurance . They discovered that if ARTA was able to provide an expression of interest signed by at least 1,500 ARTA members , Johnson Inc . would begin the process of creating an ARTA benefit plan .

With positive support from members , ARTA entered an agreement with an insurer ( Maritime Life ) to underwrite the benefit plan and for Johnson Inc . to administer the plan . The contract was signed on September 5 , 1994 , and the plan took effect on January 1 , 1995 . ARTA then created a Health and Wellness Benefits Committee to oversee the benefit plan and to report to the Board of Directors the ongoings of the plan .

In 2000 ( when I started to be involved with the plan as an employee of Johnson Inc .), we built margins into the plan rates in order to develop a Rate Stabilization Reserve — a reserve from which money can be drawn to reduce shock rate increases . This allowed us to change the underwriting method used by the plan — meaning that while the plan was still fully insured ( i . e ., the insurance company held the risk ), ARTA could retain excess surplus any years they were generated , further bolstering

1993

Benefit plan investigation

1995

Benefit plan takes effect

10 | arta . net WELL-AGED

2000

Rate Stabilization Reserve developed

2008

Plan expansion the reserves held by ARTA . This was implemented for health benefits but not the emergency travel coverage — it remained fully insured .

The growing surplus funds being held under the plan led to the formation of the ARTA Benefit Plan Trust Fund to oversee the surplus investments and to try to build the surplus reserves via wise investment opportunities , further protecting the long-term sustainability of the plan .

In 2008 , the plan was expanded to include Alberta public service retirees , with an open enrolment for previous retirees , generating significant interest . The success of open enrolment eventually resulted in ARTA expanding its affiliate membership coverage even further — ARTA allowed public sector retirees and private sector groups to join ARTA , which allowed those members to participate in the benefit plan , too .

In 2012 , ARTA changed its benefits consulting company , which recommended unbundling the third party administration and adjudication , and we moved to a new third party administrator — the Alberta School

2012

New third-party administrator

2021

Self-administration of plan

2023

Plan-owned pharmacy opens