Retirement health coverage and you

Support your health and peace of mind. Learn about the coverage options available to you as a retired member of BC's Municipal Pension Plan.

1. Eligibility and application deadlines

3. Enrolling when you retire

2. Conditions of coverage

Eligibility and application deadlines

You are eligible to enrol in the extended health care and dental plans if you are both:

A retired member receiving a pension from the Municipal Pension Plan
A permanent resident of Canada

You can also enrol your spouse and/or eligible dependant(s) if they are permanent residents of Canada. Application deadlines are explained below.

If you are receiving a pension as a beneficiary of a plan member, you may also be eligible for coverage. Call us for more information.

If you move from one province or territory in Canada to another province or territory, you are still eligible for coverage if you:

Notify us of your new address within 60 days of your move, and confirm the date of your move
Enrol in the provincial health plan of your new province or territory

If you cancel your coverage and then want to rejoin at a later date, you must re-apply within 60 days of being eligible to do so. This would apply, for example, if you cancelled because you were living outside of Canada. When you returned to live in Canada, you would have 60 days after your return to apply for coverage.

There are other cases where you have 60 days to enrol in either plan. For example, you must apply to enrol yourself, your spouse and/or dependant(s) within 60 days of:

The end-date of coverage under another health and dental plan, such as your spouse’s employer group plan
The date you marry
The date an individual became your dependant
The date on which you and your common-law spouse have lived together for 12 months

If you do not apply within the 60-day deadline and cannot provide proof of continuous coverage, you will not be eligible to join the extended health care and/or dental plans offered through the Municipal Retiree Benefit Trust.

If applying for coverage outside the 60-day window, you must:

provide proof of continuous coverage with another provider that has been stopped and
enrol within 60 days of ending that coverage.

You must provide the same proof of continuous coverage for your spouse and any eligible dependant(s) you want to enrol as well.

Note: A new spouse or dependent does not need to provide proof of continuous coverage; however, the application for coverage must be made within 60 days of the person becoming your spouse/dependent.