I hope that the 2003/2004 rates are going to reflect the increase in the Canadian dollar against the US$.

Thank you.
Leo Audette
Welland Ont.

The Canadian dollar is $0.7419US, at press time. We certainly hope it stays at this level, or higher, for this year's travel season. This has a very positive impact on our rates even although we are predicting the exchange rate level several months in advance. To give you an example, last year's rates were based on $0.64. This year I hope we can use $0.74 or $0.75. A very negative factor on rate levels is the medical inflation in the US, and this was obscene during the past year. For each day in hospital, our billed costs increased by over 40%. This can be caused by both medical inflation (hospitals increasing their prices) and by people having more severe problems than in past years. We are working very hard to have these high bills reduced and are having some success. In any event, I would take advantage of Early Bird prices as you will win either way with Medipac's Double Guarantee.

Dear Mr. Quigley,

I do not have any suggestions to improve Medipac. I am quite happy with the way it is working and the service it provides...I am a firm believer in insurance. I go to great lengths to promote Medipac to our Canadian friends while in Florida.

Yours Truly,
Roy Mailman
Bridgetown, Nova Scotia

Thank You Mr. Mailman, and we are happy to say that many people feel as you do. We believe our job is to try and make insurance more affordable for our clients without reducing benefits. We are continuously reviewing different medical conditions, and their interaction, with a view to reducing your medical classification and to give more people access to Medipac's benefits. The more clients we have, the better prices can be. And, insurance is an absolute necessity when travelling outside Canada. Keep up your good work, your support is most appreciated.

We are one of the couples who purchase extra insurance for our winter trip south. The only problem I have is with the Early Bird Plan. This plan comes out in the summer and we don't know whether we can go south or not until usually the first part of November. As soon as we know that we can go south, I send in the application for the insurance and pay the full price. It would be nice if the early discount was granted until at least the end of October.

Mrs. B. Robbins
Life Time Member

I wish I could help you with this but we are already "pushing the envelope" with our insurers to get the mid-August deadline. If you are a regular snowbird you should certainly buy the Early Bird Program and take advantage of the payment plan. The only reason most snowbirds will not travel South, is if they have health concerns. If this is the case, we refund 100% of your money with no fees.

Gentlemen:

Re: $40.00 Surcharge
With regard to your CSA News article regarding the $40.00 surcharge that Medipac adds to their out-of-province health insurance policies.

It is Not Fair that Federal Government employees must pay a $40.00 penalty because the Federal Government has a MEDOC Plan of out-of-province insurance available to them for the first 40 days of any trip.

I have not heard of any other insurance company charging this $40.00 surcharge to their plans for this option.

Sincerely,
Harry E. Friend
Kingston ON

Our $40 Top-Up Fee was a topic of discussion in several "It's Not Fair" letters. The reasoning behind this is fairly simple in that the longer a person is away from their doctors, the more chance there is of a claim occurring. Since our move to "Buy What You Need Top-Ups," we added a small extra fee to offset this additional risk. The premium savings, in doing this, was quite substantial under most policies. Even with this fee, the Medipac Program usually provides much better rates than topping up your basic employer plan. Many other companies do not have a fee because they build it into the premium itself. On a 180 day trip, they will charge the 180 day rate less the 40 day rate which gets them additional premium for the longer 180 day duration used. Medipac charges the lower 140 day rate and adds $40.