Glossary

General Questions

Plan Administrator

Benefits administration is an important role. The plan administrator serves as the main contact between employees and the insurance company.

Here are a few of the responsibilities of a plan administrator: managing enrolments, additions, and terminations; updating salaries; handling monthly billing; and communication with employees.

Vital Partners' by-your-side service model sets plan administrators up for success.



Insurer or carrier

The company that provides the insurance product such as: Sun Life, Great West Life, Equitable Life, Encon, etc. Vital Partners works with most major insurers in Canada.



Flexible Benefits

There are a number of ways to inject flexibility into a benefits plan. Here are a couple of examples:

  1. A benefit plan that would allow employees to choose coverage levels based on their needs.

  2. A health spending account or wellness account that allow employees to use predetermined allocation for whatever matters most to them.

More information about employee and employer advantages can be found here.



Benefits

Benefits [ben-uh-fits] as defined by Vital Partners A collection of tangible and intangible perks offered to employees and/or owners. Examples include Health, Dental, Disability, Life, Critical Illness and Wellness benefits.



Insurance

Insurance [inˈSHo͝orəns] as defined by Vital Partners Insurance is a contract which provides compensation for a specified loss, damage, illness, or death in return for payment of a premium. Insurance can be purchased to hedge against financial losses and with specific goals in mind for individuals, families, or businesses.



Plan Member

An employee enroled in a group benefits program.



Plan Marketing

In our industry, we use the term marketing to refer to sourcing of products and pricing.

Vital Partners actively sources the most appropriate and cost-effective suppliers for each individual client.



Health Spending Account (HSA)

An HSA (Private Health Services Plan) is a Canada Revenue Agency approved method to provide, medical, dental, and vision benefits in a tax-efficient manner. A corporation can write off 100% of the costs relating to a Health Spending Account, and all expenses are reimbursed tax-free to employees. An employer can top up an existing benefits plan with a Health Spending Account or it can be provided to employees on a stand-alone basis. Health Spending accounts (HSAs) or Private Health Spending Accounts (PHSAs) make it easy for you to care for your employees, your family, and yourself. Tell me more!



Wellness Spending Account

Wellness plans are taxable, which makes them extremely flexible. A company determines what types of expenses to cover based on their unique objectives. Wellness accounts can help an organization articulate its values and culture in a way that engages their work force. Employers can be very creative with the list of expenses. Eligible claims may include anything from health or fitness club memberships, sports registration fees, public transportation, music lessons, computers, to pet expenses. For more information about how to add a wellness account to your organization's benefits plan, please visit our Health Spending Account page.