As of late I have spoken to many Retirees and Surviving Spouses who were
unaware of this fact, despite previous mailings that were sent by the Ford Motor
Company in 2010 and several 707 Reporter articles written many years
ago.
Even though we lost this benefit almost a decade ago it is worth repeating,
as I have seen many Retirees, Surviving Spouses and some of their adult children
requesting Semi-private hospital rooms assuming they are covered for it through
their Green Shield Coverage, only to later find out that it is not a benefit of our
plan and unfortunately receive a hospital bill for hundreds, sometimes thousands,
of dollars.
If you or any of your adult family members are completing a Hospital admissions
form:Do not indicate you have Green Shield Insurance coverage and do not
request private or semi-private hospital accommodation on the form unless you
are prepared to pay out of pocket expenses from $240 to $300 per night for
your room. Instead ask for a WARD room which is covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) and is of no cost to you.
It is also important to note: If you are admitted into a publicly funded Ontario
hospital and you have chosen to be in a Ward room, but there are none available
or the publically funded Ontario Hospital has chosen to place you in a semi-private
or private room, you will not be responsible for the cost, as you or your
adult family member did not request the room on your hospital admission
form. It is only when you or your adult family requests, completes and signs for
a semi-private or private room that you will be charged.
Get the word out to other retirees and surviving spouses and share this information
with your adult family members or children who in emergencies may
bring you to the hospital and complete the admission form on your behalf. As
once the request on the admission form is completed and signed, it becomes a
legal document and Ontario publically funded hospitals are unwilling to waive
semi-private or private changes incurred once you find out Green Shield does not
provide coverage.
Fraternally,
Mark Sciberras
Vice President
Unifor Local 707
