Gary Sawatzky | Chief Operating Officer , ARTA

ARTA ’ s benefit plans provide comprehensive coverage for our members ’ needs . While each benefit is separate and specialized , they all combine harmoniously to provide holistic coverage , touching each part of our covered members ’ health and well-being .

Extended Health Care ( EHC ) remains the core benefit provided by ARTA ’ s benefit plans . Coverage varies based on the specific plan chosen by each member , but several fundamental benefits are provided under each plan . Covered benefits include not only goods such as prescription drugs and eyeglasses , but also services that may be beneficial to our members .

The most widely used EHC benefit is prescription drugs . Most of our covered members have some public prescription drug coverage , but often the public plans do not cover the entire cost of a medication , and certain drugs are not covered at all by the public plans . ARTA ’ s EHC plans provide coverage for a wide gamut of drugs , as long as they are considered eligible Medical Expense Tax Credits . In 2022 , the ARTA plans covered over $ 17 million in prescription drug costs .

The next most widely used EHC benefit is services provided by paramedical practitioners — ARTA paid over $ 11 million in claims in 2022 . ARTA covers nineteen paramedical practitioners , but almost 90 % of the claims are made for services provided by chiropractors , physiotherapists , and massage therapists .

The ARTACares plan and ARTA ’ s Member Assistance Plan are two of the services that members can use as needed .

● Medical second opinion services , health care system navigation , health advocacy , support for a chronic disease , and caregiving consultations are made available by ARTACares .

● The Member Assistance Plan supports members ’ mental health and overall well-being . You and your eligible dependants can each set up an individual account to access five hours of counselling and five hours of couples counselling per contract year . Advisory services on topics such as legal , financial , health , career , and life transitions are also included .

Other EHC items covered and enjoyed by our members include vision care , hearing aids , medical aids and appliances , ambulance , hospital , home care , and private duty nursing . All are available to our members to ensure their health issues are attended to and they receive the goods and services they require .

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