Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services

Worst benefit company ever… for so many reasons but I will just mention the most recent.
For the last 7 years I have suffered with cluster headaches and severe migraines. After a multitude of tests, specialists, etc. I was diagnosed with two aneurysms. In the meantime I was forced to quit my job and quit nursing school. I didn’t want to go on any type of disability because I thought my husband’s income would be enough to support us both while I was seeking treatment.
So long story short… I have tried ALL treatments available including massive doses of narcotics. Industrial Alliance happily covered the expense of all medications. About 14 months ago I was lucky enough to get in to see one of the top Neurologists in Canada (after a lengthy wait on their waitlist). Surgery for the aneurysms is not an option because of where they are located. His suggestion was Botox treatments in my head, neck and shoulders. It’s not a cure but it is a treatment that has had much success. I called Industrial Alliance to see if it would be covered. At first they said no because it wasn’t on their list of approved treatments. After much discussion and a multitude of calls and emails they said I had to get my Doctor to fill out a bunch of forms and they would assess them and make a decision. After some time they FINALLY agreed to cover the costs of the Botox.
**I want to note here that I had even provided them with proof of cost savings for them. In any given month they were covering between $ 600.00 to $ 1000.00 worth of medication for me. The Botox would cost $ 850.00 every 3 months. That’s a considerable savings!**
So…today I get a phone call from the drugstore that I get my Botox from. They informed me that my Botox is no longer covered under my insurance. What the??? I call Industrial Alliance to ask why. I was informed then that they had only approved my Botox for a term of 1 year and that I now have to get pre-​approval AGAIN. Why? As far as I know aneurysms don’t magically go away in a year! Not to mention that if I had known it was only approved for 1 year I would have got these forms filled out sooner so that I would know if it was still covered. At this point my next appointment with my Neurologist is in 4 days and I have to pay for it myself because I do not have this pre-​approval form done. With only 1 income this is a HUGE financial burden. There is also a $ 200.00 injection fee that the hospital charges. Industrial Alliance will not cover that fee either. Apparently that’s not their problem. Call me crazy but the only way to administer Botox is by needle so should this fee not be covered as part of the treatment??? Do they expect me to drink it? Insane.
I have had soooooo many issues with Industrial over the years. They are rude on the phone and will try ANYTHING and EVERYTHING to get out of paying for the very people that pay them for these benefits! If they were not the company that my husband’s employer provided them with I would never, ever use this company.

When we switched from our old work insurance company to our new, I wasn’t sure why. But after speaking to many people, I heard Industrial Alliance is the cheapest insurance you can get, and it’s probably because they spend the least on the people they hire.
If you want hostile, unhelpful, sarcastic, and rude customer service, this is the right insurance company for you. I’ve asked them two simple questions over the there months I’ve been with them, and I feel like they pride themselves on being as unhelpful as possible.
And I haven’t mentioned the slow response time, but two weeks to sort out simple problems or answer simple questions seems a little asinine.
I would not recommend them, cheaper is not always better.