Great-West Life Group Benefits Insurance Reviews

I have GWL health and dental coverage through my workplace. My husband has a different insurance company. Previously with coordination of benefits, we wouldn't pay much more than about $50 for any dental claims because GWL would cover whatever my husband didn't quite cover. Ever since the new 2018 dental fee guide has come out, they no longer cover anything more than the fee *guide* outlines. This guide is woefully lower than reasonable dental costs. Now GWL has left us paying upwards of 1/3 of dental costs. This is ridiculous. When I call to ask why their policy has changed, they just say it's because of the fee guide and plead ignorance. What a horrible company. If I could switch, I would.

I recently was really sick on a trip to Cuba, I am from Canada. My workplace has "travel assistance" coverage through Great West Life. I read through their benefit booklet before I left and felt assured that they would have the resources to help in an emergency. This is a quote from our benefits booklet. "This program provides medical assistance through a worldwide communications network that operates 24Hours a day. The Network Locates medical services and obtains Great West Life's approval of covered services, when required as a result of a medical emergency" They talk a good game, sounds pretty sophisticated, and sounds like they have resources to help. Unfortunately, I was violently ill in Cuba. We are all given an emergency travel assistance card, so I tried calling the number on the card. It didn't work. And they had a special number just for when you are in Cuba. There was also some fine print that mentioned you may need to dial "00" instead of 1 if you are in another country. I tried this, this also didn't work. So then I tried dialling "00" plus "1". And it worked! I got through. Now I will certainly get some help....not so. They had absolutely no medical assistance for me at all. I had to go and find my own...in Cuba....while violently ill. The customer service rep was like a cold robot. They didn't seem interested at all in providing help. I'm asking for help and all the guy wants is my address, my phone number and postal code. Another thing is, you need to call the number they give you first or they may not pay your claim. They then give improper instructions for dialling outside the country. So your claim can be denied. Highly unethical company, to the point of straight-up fraudulent in my opinion. We need stronger laws in Canada for this type of behaviour.

I'm under company insurance, the insurance covers for orthotics appliances. I went to the doctor to check and buy the orthotics appliances but when I claimed on the insurance policy, they've replied the doctor is not covered by the plan. And also they refuse to pay back for orthotics appliances. This company is a fraud just trying to steal money from people. Please look for a different insurance company to save yourself.

This company makes filing a claim intentionally difficult, often stalling claims indefinitely without requesting further information, just so they don't have to pay out. I was switched to GWL by my employer and I've been shocked by how terrible this company is in comparison to my previous insurance provider. Keeping claims difficult and frustrating appears to be this company's cost-saving strategy.

Calling in to their customer support will guarantee you to wait on the phone, as their call centre seems both understaffed and underqualified. Also the call centre agents are oblivious to my benefits and insisted I contact the HR of the company I am working for - what is their customer support centre's purpose then?

Website provides minimal information regarding group benefits plan to see what my coverage is. Coverage is pretty terrible for the money, some of the worst that I've seen from any group plans so far. Dental claims are often delayed or denied with no clear explanation. To give them credit, getting a pair of subscription glasses went moderately well, but even that somehow took longer than 4 weeks to process.

I was an employee at GWL. As soon as they learned my wife required surgery, I was terminated. We lost all benefits.

Pathetic.

I was forced to buy into group insurance. What they don't tell you is that it is a tiered system, meaning the high level management personnel receive extraordinary benefits on the backs of the mid-level employees. As middle management I was hit the hardest, my premiums were very high because of my salary, but I did not receive the top level of benefits and the already over paid upper management did. It still bothers me and when I left the company, I had paid more than 13 years of life insurance premiums that I was told had "no cash value". In a private plan, those premiums are often paid back to you, but I received nothing and was immediately without coverage the day I left the company. It is even incredible hard to get a clear answer what your benefits actually cover.

Paid my dues for over 7 years for employee benefits. There rep came to our company and assured us and I quote "Don't worry, if anything happens we'll take care of you! No problems."

Over this 7 year period they recieved over 16, 800.00 dollars on my behalf.

In 2016 I was in a bad car accident and ended up with severe post concussion syndrome. They did everything they could to deny me and left me in the dust.

So I lost my 26 dollar an hour job because of my condition and couldn't drive a truck anymore. Now I survive on a meager provincial disability stipend as I can't work yet.

Don't do business with these people, they are your typical greedy self-centered corporation. They lie and don't deliver what they promise.

I hope you spent my 16K on something nice for yourselves...

Throughout the years I have had to deal with them for one claim or another. Filled out paperwork for coverage on glasses, my primary insurance company refunds the money no problem and I submit the remaining amount with receipt and paperwork. And they claim I need to fill out more. This is not the first time I've done this either, seems every time I've dealt with them they change information needed or claim they need more. Funny how it's only their company I have frustration with. I've had coverage throughout my 28 years of work and never had issues with any other companies. A company I worked for changed to to them for insurance and because I hate them so much I quit and found another job. I refuse to have them as my primary insurer, I cannot help who my wife's company has but I can sure prevent my pay to go towards them.

My company terminated the group insurance with GWL on January 31, 2016. All claims served and sent before this date were supposed to be accepted and paid.
My wife's eye glasses were bought on December 15, 2015 and after claim went through here insurance, it was submitter to GWL (sent on January 15). And they refused to pay it because they artificially delayed the claim processing up to February 9th! How ridiculous!
Beware of this bunch of scammers.