ARTA offers a wide variety of health benefit plans to its members, allowing everyone to find the plan that best fits their lifestyle.
Randy
Age and Residence: 62, lives in Spruce Grove
Medical Conditions: none
Lifestyle: Enjoys gardening and puttering around his home
Current Plan and drug coverage: Health Wise (does not include emergency travel coverage) — 80% drug coverage
Plan decision: Randy’s medication needs are limited. To maintain his health, he only needs the occasional prescription for pain and a topical cream, which he can get filled at any pharmacy, including ARTARx. He likes the flexibility of being able to pick up his prescriptions at any pharmacy, so he decided to stay with his current plan, which has lower premiums than the new Health Wise Rx plan. Since he often goes into the city, he plans to get his vaccinations at ARTARx to avoid the administration fee charged at the pharmacies around his home.
Margaret
Age and Residence: 73, lives in Grande Prairie
Medical Conditions: Mild cardiac issues with high blood pressure and lipids, glaucoma
Lifestyle: Active in the community, volunteers, enjoys travel
Current Plan: Total Health (includes emergency travel coverage), which has 80% drug coverage. When coordinated with the provincial Senior Drug Benefit Plan (automatically given to Alberta residents when they turn 65), her drugs are fully covered.
Plan Decision: Margaret has developed a very good professional relationship with her pharmacist and enjoys having in-person chats. She is a strong proponent of supporting local businesses. Since the premiums are similar, she wants to continue filling her prescriptions at her community pharmacy and does not change plans.
Boris
Age and Residence: 78, lives in Leduc
Medical conditions: Stroke, Diabetes, some ambulation difficulty
Lifestyle: Restricted outings due to ambulation issues, enjoys spending time on his computer
Current Plan: Ultimate Health (includes emergency travel coverage) – 80% drug coverage with his ARTA plan, but some of his drugs are not covered by the Alberta Coverage for Seniors plan, meaning he pays a portion out of pocket, often hitting his annual drug maximum.
Plan Decision: Boris has increased medical needs after his stroke, so he wants good extended health care benefits. If he switches to the Health Wise Rx plan, AND transfers all his prescriptions to the ARTARx pharmacy, he will have 100% coverage and pay less in premiums. If he joins the Health Wise Rx plan, but gets some drugs filled elsewhere, his coverage for prescriptions filled outside of ARTARx would only be 50-80%. Since he already orders his groceries online and has them delivered, he is comfortable having his medications filled in Edmonton and sent directly to his home in Leduc. He also appreciates the option to have virtual consultations (in addition to in-person consultations) with the pharmacist because of his difficulty in getting around after his stroke.
Kathleen
Age and Residence: 58, lives in Sherwood Park
Medical conditions: Thyroid deficiency, osteoarthritis
Lifestyle: Enjoys travelling, painting, and reading
Current Plan: Total Health (includes emergency travel coverage) – 80% drug coverage with her current ARTA Total health plan, but due to her age, she is not yet covered by the Alberta Coverage for Seniors plan, meaning she pays a portion out of pocket.
Plan Decision: Kathleen is on a chronic medication for her thyroid deficiency, so can set up routine refill requests through the ARTARx pharmacy and is then eligible for 100% prescription drug coverage. She routinely goes for massages for her osteoarthritis and wears glasses, so the increased paramedical and vision coverage under the Health Wise Rx plan is appealing. Kathleen switches to the Complete Health (formerly ARTARx+Travel) benefit plan for improved coverage at a minimal premium increase.
Carol
Age and Residence: 62, lives in Edmonton
Medical conditions: Diabetes
Lifestyle: enjoys reading and occasionally travelling to visit her children
Current Plan: Total Health (includes emergency travel coverage) – 80% drug coverage with her current ARTA Total health plan but does not have coverage for defined lifestyle medications.
Plan Decision: Carol’s doctor has suggested a type of weight loss medication but hasn’t agreed to fill the prescription, as her current plan Total Health does not offer coverage for defined lifestyle medications. She notices the Complete Health plan offers 80% coverage for defined lifestyle medications including weight-loss medications and thinks switching to the Health Wise Rx plan would be the perfect opportunity to have her weight-loss prescription from her doctor covered.
George
Age and Residence: 86, lives in Fort Saskatchewan
Medical conditions: High blood pressure
Lifestyle: Enjoys travelling and photography
Current Plan: Total Health (includes emergency travel coverage) – 80% drug coverage with her current ARTA Total health plan
Plan Decision: George has slowly been realizing his dream of seeing the world after he retired, but he hasn’t yet managed to cross every dream destination off his list. Recently, George’s doctor has prescribed medication to help George get his blood pressure under control, though his doctor says he can easily manage this prescription while travelling. George decides to switch from Total Health to the Complete Health plan to save money on his blood pressure maintenance medication. And, because ARTA’s travel plans do not include a termination age, George doesn’t feel pressured to rush his travel plans and can continue to explore the world at his own pace.