The Best Group Benefits Solution for Small Businesses
The Chambers Plan is designed specifically for small businesses. It gives small business owners and entrepreneurs premium stability and access to group insurance and employee benefits that previously were only available to large corporations.
You may think you can’t afford a benefits plan, but the Chambers Plan offers a comprehensive benefits solution on any budget! Your advisor will help you choose the group insurance coverage through the Chambers Plan that is just right for you, whether you run a home-based one-person business or an office with many employees.
Garrett Insurance is the exclusive Chambers Plan provider for the following Chambers of Commerce; St. Catharines Greater Niagara, Welland, Grimsby, Lincoln, Niagara Falls, NOTL, West Lincoln.
How the Chambers Plan Works
The Chambers Plan is the largest pooled employee benefits plan in Canada.
This means that premiums and rates aren’t as susceptible to changes based on your small group of employees and their claims. Instead, the claims of similar participating firms are aggregated to determine a fair rate across these groups.
The outcome for you, the business owner, is greater stability for your group plan rates.
Chambers Plan Coverage Options for You and Your Employees
Health Benefits
Group health insurance provides for:
- Prescription costs
- Paramedical services
- Semi-private hospital stay
- Nursing care
- Ambulance
- Medical appliances
- Emergency medical assistance
- Voyage Assistance program for out of province/out of country travel
- *Optional: Pay direct drug card
- *Optional: Vision care
Plans provide between 50% and 100% coverage of eligible expenses.
Dental
Group dental insurance can provide for:
- Exams
- Basic restorative procedures
- Periodontal services
- Endodontic services
In some cases, major dental benefits and children’s orthodontics are also covered.
Short and Long Term Disability
Short and long term disability coverage compensates an employee during a brief or longer term absence from work due to illness or injury.
Group Critical Illness
Group critical illness pays a benefit (up to $50,000) in the event of:
- Cancer
- Heart attack
- Alzheimer’s
- Aortic Surgery
- Aplastic Anemia
- Bacterial Meningitis
- Benign Brain Tumour
- Blindness or Deafness
- Burns
- Coma
- Coronary Bypass
- Heart Valve Replacement
- Kidney Failure
- Loss of Independent Existence
- Loss of Limbs
- Loss of Speech
- Major Organ Failure on Waiting List
- Major Organ Transplant
- Motor Neuron Disease
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Occupational HIV
- Paralysis
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Stroke
Basic Employee Life / Accidental Death and Dismemberment
This option provides employee life insurance plus an additional benefit in case of serious injury or accidental death. You can choose a basic level of coverage (e.g. $25,000) or a salary-related amount.
Dependents Life Insurance
Three levels of coverage are available to cover your employees’ spouses and children.
Group Optional Life
Group optional life allows employees to top up their group life insurance with an amount they choose and pay for. Spousal coverage and children’s benefits are also available.
Best Doctors®
Best Doctors® gives your employee, or their family member who is seriously ill, inter-consultation services such as reviewing the patient’s file, confirming the diagnosis, and identifying the most appropriate treatment.
Employee Assistance
Employee assistance provides professional counseling services to help your employees deal with issues like relationship problems and dependency before the lead to absences from work or a disability claim.
Business Overhead
If you have long term disability insurance, you can also choose business overhead expense benefits.
Business overhead pays for many business expenses while you are disabled, including:
- Rent
- Electricity
- Phone bills
- Leases
- Taxes
- Some salaries
Registered Retirement Savings (RRSP)
A group RRSP allows employees to invest in a variety of mutual funds, as well as term deposits. Employees will have online access to their assets and accounts. Contributions are deducted from payroll at source, reducing taxable income.
Offer the Best Employee Benefits to Your Staff!
With the right set of group benefits, you will attract top talent and retain your best employees.
Health Spending Accounts
The Chambers Plan Health Spending Account (HSA) adds flexibility for your employees by letting them reduce out-of-pocket costs for expenses not covered under the group plan or top up existing benefits coverage.
The Chambers Plan HSA is designed to supplement, not replace, existing Health and Dental coverage. It is there to complement insured group coverage and is not a standalone offering.
An HSA can cover, but is not limited to, the following expenses:
- Dental services such as orthodontic treatment
- Prescription drugs out-of-pocket expenses
- Vision care such as laser vision correction
- Medical facilities and devices
- Additional coverage for services such as chiropractic and massage
For more information on eligibility or eligible expenses, visit Revenue Canada’s website.
Depending on your needs and existing coverage, you can choose a maximum yearly amount for each employee between $100 and $5,000. You can also select between three different plan designs: No Carry Over (employees must use their HSA funds within the calendar year), Funds Carry Over (employees can add unclaimed funds from year one to their balance for year two), and Claims Carry Over (employees can carry unclaimed claims into the following calendar year).