Pacific Blue Cross job action causing claim backlog, frustration
Members say they've been unable to make some claims for 5 weeks, and that bills are piling up
Job action at Pacific Blue Cross, one of B.C.'s largest health insurance companies, is creating frustration for customers trying to make claims.
Pacific Blue Cross user Warren Ray said he's been trying to contact his insurer for five weeks to get payment for his new prosthetic leg.
"They're not taking any paper claims right now. They are basically being stacked up in a corner until they get back to work," he said.
The company that supplied his prosthetic paid the bill, but now it needs to be reimbursed. But with Pacific Blue Cross workers in the midst of job action — with no apparent end in sight — Ray's unsure of when he'll be able to pay them back.
However, Pacific Blue Cross, in an emailed statement, says paper claims are being received, opened and processed at its office in priority order.
Dispute over benefits
CUPE 1816, the union representing around 600 Pacific Blue Cross employees, first began job action in May, and began picketing July 7.
According to union members, the dispute is about cuts the company is trying to make to existing benefits for current and retired members.
"We work for an insurance company, so to take away some of our health and dental benefits, it's kind of a catch 22," said Andria Jukic, who works in the Pacific Blue Cross call centre.
Smaller claims can still be filed through the company's online system.
However, most claims over $2,000 — excluding those sent electronically by dental or pharmacy providers — require a paper claim that the company says will be processed at its office in priority order.
Juvic said she understands the frustration members are feeling.
"It's quite sad. I think about some of our more senior members who aren't online or don't use a mobile app, they walk in to hand in their claims. To have nowhere to really speak to someone, or waiting on a claim to be paid out for quite a long time, that's hard for someone," said Juvic.
Insurer responds
Further complicating the dispute is a disagreement between the union and the company over whether the job action constitutes a strike or a lockout.
Pacific Blue Cross says employees are engaged in a legal strike and are welcome to return to work at any time. But the union maintains the company has deactivated employees' access badges and locked them out.
Union representatives said they had planned to meet with the company at an annual meeting in September, but the meeting has since been cancelled.
In a statement to CBC News, Pacific Blue Cross wrote "our focus is on continuing to serve our Pacific Blue Cross members and ensuring that they receive the services and support they require although service levels are temporarily impacted."
According to its website, Pacific Blue Cross provides insurance to 1.5 million people in B.C.
It is unknown how many people have been directly affected by the job action.
With files from Angela Sterritt