PSHCP Bulletin - Number 14

Greetings from the PSHCP Trust

Another year has come to an end. The Trustees of the PSHCP Trust take this opportunity to express their warmest wishes for 2003. May the New Year bring health, happiness, peace, and prosperity to all our members and their families.

Introducing PSHCP ...at your fingertips

The Public Service Health Care Plan Trust is pleased to announce its new Internet-based information source for members and participants. Effective February 2003, the site www.pshcptrust.ca will be available from virtually anywhere in the world, any time of day, every day of the year.

The launch of PSHCP...at your fingertips is part of our commitment to keeping you informed. You will now be able to find the most up-to-date plan details with a new and easy-to-use website. To take advantage of this new site, simply sign on to www.pshcptrust.ca and the information will be at your fingertips. You do not require an ID number or special access information.

PSHCP...at your fingertips should not be confused with the Internet service that we announced in the fall issue of our Bulletin. At that time, we announced, in partnership with Sun Life Financial, an Internet service that gives you secure access to up-to-the-minute claims information and other online services, and a number of you have already taken advantage of this service.

Fast and easy - on-line

Recent studies indicate that almost half of Canadians have access to the Internet from home. Because web-based information sources are the research method of choice of many of our members, the PSHCP Trust has made the decision to invest the time and energy required to create an Internet site that will make information accessible...at your fingertips.

Answers...at the click of a mouse

Generally, when you want information, it is because you have a specific question or you are in a situation where you need facts quickly. That is why we have designed PSHCP...at your fingertips to provide simple answers to commonly asked questions such as:

• How do I join the plan?
• Where do I call if I have a question about my costs?
• What coverage am I entitled to?

These questions, and many more, are organized under sections that break plan information into easily identifiable pieces. "Joining the Plan", "Coverage", and "What the Plan does not cover" all appear under the same header "Plan Details". This will ensure that you will quickly find the answers to your PSHCP-related questions.

In addition to plan details, the site

• Provides a simple set of instructions to assist first-time users find what they are looking for,
• Links key terms to their definition in a glossary,
• Offers PDF versions of claim forms that you can download or print,
• Links to your provincial health care plan and other plan and health related sites, such as the Sun Life member site.

You will also be able to:

• Read the latest PSHCP bulletin,
• Find archived copies of previous bulletins, and
• Review the most recent PSHCP annual report of the Trustees.

In keeping with the bilingual nature of the PSHCP, you can switch back and forth between English and French from any page on the site.

We hope that you will rely on the easy access of PSHCP...at your fingertips to provide you with the most up-to-date information about the PSHCP. In addition to the site, of course, you have your copy of the PSHCP booklet, issued in 2001.

Our commitment

It is important to note that we will continue to provide all Plan-related information in print form as we have in the past. PSHCP...at your fingertips is an added benefit of the plan to ensure that we communicate with our members in every way we can.

In addition, the services Sun Life currently offers will not change. For questions about your PSHCP benefits, you can always contact the Plan Administrator. Customer Service Representatives are available from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (EST), Monday through Friday.