This disparity was rectified by the ARTA Health Benefits Committee passing a motion recommending that the ARTA Board of Directors increase the Usual and Customary Fee for physiotherapy treatment from $ 90 to $ 95 per treatment effective November 1st, 2025, which was accepted by the Board and communicated to plan members as part of their annual renewal communication in September. This change was but one update to Usual and Customary Fees made at that time— fees were also increased for massage therapy treatment, naturopathic treatment, and psychology treatment, among others.
This increase to Usual and Customary Fees is one of the things that makes ARTA’ s benefit plans unique. Most other group benefit plans set their Usual and Customary Fees once— at time of inception— and they are rarely reviewed or updated, if ever. It’ s also why it is so important to read the fine print when comparing benefit plans; a competitor plan may say it covers 100 % of eligible expenses but will have relatively low inside limits for these types of benefits, meaning covered members will never come close to getting 100 % coverage.
Dental care procedure rates are set somewhat differently. ARTA does not determine what the procedure fees are for dental care benefits. Instead, those fees are set by the Alberta Dental Association( ADA) each year and published in the ADA Fee Guide. ARTA uses the most current ADA fee guide to determine appropriate payments for dental care claims. Using the current ADA Fee Guide is also somewhat unique in the retiree benefit plans space; other competitor plans will often use a proprietary fee guide, which typically pays at a lower level than the current ADA Fee Guide, or even an older version of the ADA Fee Guide. ARTA prides itself on using the most current and relevant fee guide to ensure our covered members are getting the best benefits they can.
ARTA also prides itself on being completely transparent with our members, which is why we publish the full plan details online( artabenefits. net / benefit-booklets), as part of our benefit booklets, including the Usual and Customary Fees. ARTA will continue to update these fees each year and communicate them to the covered ARTA members in a timely manner, along with the other plan changes approved by the Board of Directors.
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