SAGE Health Care Spending Account

Effective January 1, 2022, each SAGE member has been allocated $690 per calendar year (for family coverage) or $465 per calendar year (for single coverage) for their HCSA.

Effective January 1, 2023, each SAGE member has been allocated $855 per calendar year (for family coverage) or $630 per calendar year (for single coverage) for their HCSA.

Effective January 1, 2024, each SAGE member has been allocated $1,020 per calendar year (for family coverage) or $795 per calendar year (for single coverage) for their HCSA.

Your Health Care Spending Account can be used to cover medical and dental expenses that are not covered (or only partially covered) by your Extended Health and Dental plan. For instance, you can use it to help pay for prescription dispensing costs, for the portion of a dental bill you would normally pay for yourself, for physiotherapists and massage therapists, and a wide variety of other expenses.

Unused funds from the HCSA may be carried forward one calendar year, but tax laws do not allow it to be carried beyond one year. HCSA allocations that are unused by the end of the second calendar year will be forfeited.

Questions & Answers

Who is eligible?

Members of SAGE are eligible for the Health Care Spending Account (HCSA). 

How do I make a claim?

The best way to make many claims is to log onto the Manulife secure website. Manulife is the administrator of the HCSA. You’ll have to register online, if you haven’t yet done so. You can also make a claim using the Group Benefits Extended Health Care Claim Form, also available on the Manulife self-service website, and in hard copy from Human Resource Services in Room 4159, Support Services Building.

What type of health-related expenses may I claim under the HCSA?

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) defines which expenses can be reimbursed using your HCSA. These would include any 15% co-insurance you pay, medical practitioner expenses over the per visit limit, excess vision care costs, medical/dental expenses not covered by your regular Extended Health and Dental Plan (such as orthodontics). A list of eligible expenses can be found on the CRA website (www.cra-arc.gc.ca) by clicking here. Note that if you receive HCSA reimbursement for an expense, you cannot also claim the CRA medical expense tax credit for the same expense.

How do I find out more information about the HCSA?

You should contact Manulife Financial directly at 1-866-896-8515.

How do I know my HCSA balance?

To see the current balance in your Health Care Spending Account, visit the Manulife Financial website. You will need information from your Manulife card (plan contract number and employee number) as well as your Manulife password. Once logged in, click on “My Benefits”. You will see carry forward, claims, and current balance. You may also call Manulife Financial directly at 1-866-896-8515.

Where do I send my completed HCSA forms?

Completed forms get sent to Manulife. You will find the address at the end of the form.

May I carry forward unspent HCSA funds to the next year?

Unused credits will be carried forward and added to any credits for the following calendar year. At the end of the second calendar year, tax laws require that any credits remaining from the previous year’s allocation be forfeited. No cash-outs of HCSA funds are permitted.

How important is the effective date of a medical or dental expense in relation to the year in which the claim is made?

This is very important. You may not use this year’s funds to pay a previous year’s expenses. For example, in January 2023, you cannot claim reimbursement for 2022 expenses from your 2023 allotment. Those 2022 expenses however, can be claimed from your 2022 balance and your 2021 carryover, with your 2021 carryover being utilized first.

Will Manulife automatically reimburse me from my HCSA for medical and dental expenses not fully covered under my Extended Health and Dental coverage with Manulife, such as the 15% co-insurance and vision care claim amounts in excess of the two year maximum?

Yes, if you indicate on the claim form, then Manulife will first process your claim using your Extended Health Care and Dental entitlements, and then pay the rest from any balance in your HCSA.

If my spouse is a member of a HCSA eligible employee group, do we each have a HCSA?

Yes.

Is there a time limit to submit claims under the HCSA?

All claims should be submitted during the same plan year in which you paid the expense.  However, your HCSA has a grace period, which allows up to 90 days after December 31st for Manulife to receive expenses incurred during the previous year.

How will the HCSA tie in with coordination of benefits through my spouse/partner’s health and dental coverage?

In order to take full advantage of the benefits available to you, you should coordinate your coverage with other plans that you may be covered under prior to submitting to your Health Care Spending Account.

Published on  and maintained in Cascade CMS.