A Canada Life policyholder fears she won’t get her injection of medication to relieve the pain caused by her serious skin condition next month because she can’t speak to someone from her insurance company.
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“My 150-milligram shot is enough for three months, but I’m pretty sure I won’t get it in November,” worries Geneviève Pelletier, a Canada Life policyholder who suffers from a severe form of the skin disease .
“I need an injection to relieve my psoriasis. It is expensive. “That’s a salary of $20,000 a year,” says the woman covered by Canada Life insurance for her husband, a trucker who works in the private sector.
In the Journal, she claims that previously the service at Blue Cross was impeccable, but that the dream turned into a nightmare because she simply couldn’t reach Canada Life, either herself or her pharmacy.
In the public sector, more than 1.7 million federal employees, retirees and eligible dependents switched from SunLife to Canada Life last July.
Since then, Le Journal has been inundated with statements from dissatisfied policyholders who can’t wait to receive the refunds they are entitled to.
Horror stories
Every time we denounce the mediocre service provided by the insurer Canada Life, part of the Power Corporation, controlled by the wealthy Desmarais clan.
“We have received an extraordinary number of calls from people across Canada frustrated with the difficult transition,” Karen Ruttan, communications officer for the National Association of Federal Retirees (ANFR), confirmed to the Journal in recent days.
“They even have a phone number that leads us in circles,” denounced Robert Larose, 71, whose wife is retired from the Department of Agriculture.
“I bought a device for sleep apnea. “I was supposed to get it changed but it blocked a month’s time and we are asked to get everything signed by a doctor again so I have to make another appointment,” he complained.
As a result, he claims he is owed 80% of the cost of his $980 machine as of August 18th.
“We try to chat on the internet and the time limit keeps running out. We get hot flashes after 45 minutes on the phone,” he said.
“They have no drawing. That makes no sense,” complains Micheline, who also cannot have the slightest contact with Canada Vie, despite spending hours on the phone trying to get reimbursed for her care.
“If we had a service there wouldn’t be any problems, but the customer service is terrible. Worse, you die,” she lamented.
The same goes for Claude Massy, 83, a former inspector of the National Film Board (ONF), who says he has never experienced anything like this.
“The stressful thing is that doctors are so busy and we have to force them to fill out dictionaries. My urologist was nice. He took care of it,” he explained.
“I had to listen for 45 minutes several times before the line hung up,” he complained.
Canada Life defends itself
Canada Life spokesperson Diane Grégoire was interviewed by Le Journal after these cases were filed and again declined our interview requests.
“More than 99% of participants have completed their membership in the plan and have access to their guarantees. To date, we have paid benefits for more than 7.5 million claims,” she replied.
“Working with the Government of Canada, we have taken measures to address the above-average number of calls related to regime change, and the situation is improving every day,” she concluded.
-In collaboration with Nicolas Brasseur
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