Basic Insurance

To understand how the adjusted hour reserve works, watch the video below

Insurability conditions

Simply having paid insurance premiums for an insurance plan does not automatically entitle a worker to insurance benefits. Furthermore, such premiums cannot be refunded. To be insured, workers must meet insurability conditions. To be insured, workers must meet insurability conditions.

Depending on the number of hours that they have accumulated during one reference period, workers may obtain coverage from one of the basic plans A, B, C, or D during an insurance period. When workers accumulate more hours than are required to be insured, the surplus is put in a hour reserve in their name. In some cases, a worker may pay an insurance premium to obtain the coverage in plan C or plan Z.

To obtain coverage from the supplementary insurance plan in a trade, a worker must first be insured under a basic plan.

The MÉDIC Construction card confirms the insurance plan under which a worker is covered under and provides a summary of the coverage that worker receives.

If a worker dies, his or her dependents may continue to receive insurance coverage under certain conditions.

An employee who feels that he or she has the right to insurance coverage different from that granted by the Commission de la construction du Québec may make a complaint about this decision. To do this, he or she must contact Customer Services, which will send him or her the appropriate form. If the employee has taken this step and is still dissatisfied with the CCQ’s decision, the Act Respecting Labour Relations, Vocational Training and Workforce Management in the Construction Industry allows him or her to ask for a review. The CCQ’s Customer Services can guide the employee with this process and supply the appropriate form.

Insurance and reference periods

Workers are insured for six-month periods. There are therefore two insurance periods per year: from January to June and from July to December.

To be insured under plan A, B, C, or D during one of these periods, workers must accumulate the required number of hours. The months during which workers accumulate these hours form the reference period. The table below shows some reference periods and the corresponding insurance periods.

Reference period (accumulation of hours)	Insurance period
February 26 to August 26, 2023	January 1 to June 30, 2024
August 27, 2023 to February 24, 2024	July 1 to December 31, 2024
February 25 to August 31, 2024	January 1 to June 30, 2025
September 1, 2024 to February 22, 2025	July 1 to December 31, 2025

Hours that may be accumulated

The hours that may be accumulated within the reference period are:

The hours worked declared to the Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ) by employers;
The hours credited for work performed outside of Québec for wich insurance payments were transferred to the CCQ under a reciprocity agreement;
Hour credits obtained through disability.

Insurance by Hours Worked (A, B, C, D)
Premium for Plan C Coverage
Premium for Plan Z Coverage
The Act Respecting Prescription Drug Insurance

To be insured under plan A, B, C, or D by hours worked, workers must accumulate, during the reference period, the number of hours given in the table below.

Plan	Number of hours required by reference period
A	750
B	600
C	450
D	300

Insurance plan A offers the most complete coverage, and plan D offers minimal coverage. Workers obtain the best plan possible as a function of hours accumulated during the reference period.

Hour Reserve

If a worker has more hours than required to be insured, the excess is put in a hour reserve in his or her name. If the worker has not accumulated enough hours during the reference period, the hours in his or her hour reserve may be used to obtain the best plan possible without surpassing the coverage under the preceding insurance period. The number of hours in the worker’s hour reserve is given on his or her MÉDIC Construction card.

It should be noted that when there is an increase in the basic assessment for each hour of work paid into the insurance fund, the hours already in reserve are adjusted downward to reflect this new value, unless the contrary has been negotiated in the collective agreements.

Because the basic hourly rate paid into the insurance plan has increased for the January 2024 insurance period, your hour reserve must be adjusted to reflect this new rate so that the monetary value of the reserve remains the same.

The hours that remained in your reserve after your insurance coverage for July 2023 was determined were worth $2.87. To insure you in January 2024, they must be worth $2.99.

Example of how the adjustment of a reserve of 500 hours is calculated:

500 h x $2.87/$2.99 = 479.93 h
The total value of 500 h x $2.87 = $1,435
This is equivalent to 479.93 h x $2.99 = $1,435

Because the basic hourly rate paid into the insurance plan will stay at $2.99/h for the period from July to December 2024, your hour reserve does not have to be adjusted for this period.

To better understand how the adjusted hour reserve works, watch the video below (available in French only).

When workers take a training course recognized by the Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ), hours may, under certain conditions, be credited to their hour reserve. Hours for a training course taken from January to June are credited to the hour reserve and may be used during the following July to December insurance period. Hours for a training course taken from July to December are credited to the hour reserve and may be used during the following January to June insurance period.

In addition, if there is an adjustment of hours upward or downward following an amended monthly report or the filing of a salary complaint, the hours in the worker’s reserve may be changed during the insurance period.

Hours not credited to the hour reserve

If a worker is not insured under plan A, B, C, or D during an insurance period, the hours accumulated during the corresponding reference period are not added to that worker’s hour reserve.

In addition, if the worker is not covered by plan A, B, C, or D for two consecutive insurance periods, he or she loses all the hours in his or her reserve as well as those accumulated during the reference period.

Given that premiums associated with insurance plans cannot be refunded, the hours lost by workers are returned to the insurance fund and are used to fund the plans.

Workers may pay a premium to obtain coverage under plan C for an insurance period if they meet all of the following conditions:

Be under 65 years old on the first day of this insurance period;
Be insured by plan D or are not insured for this insurance period;
Have at least 8,000 hours worked recorded in the construction industry’s pension plan for work done, at the latest, by the last day of the reference period corresponding to this insurance period;
Have accumulated a total of at least 1,200 hours over the last three reference periods;
In the preceding insurance period, have been insured under plan A, B, or C.

The premium corresponds to the cost of 450 hours plus applicable taxes. The hours accumulated during the reference period and those in the hour adjusted to the new rate, if applicable, are used to lower the amount to pay.

Example: For the insurance period from July 1 to December 2024, a worker eligible for payment of the premium to obtain coverage under planC has worked 100 hours during the reference period and has 50hours in the hour reserve. During the reference period from September 2023 to February 2024, one insurance hour cost $2.99.
Premium (450hoursx$2.99/hour)	$1,345.50
Reference period hours (100hoursx$2.99/hour)	-$299
Hour reserve hours(50hoursx$2.99/hour)	-$149.50
Amount to pay before taxes	=$897
Taxes (9%x$897.00)	+$80.73
Amount pay to be insured under plan C	=$977.73

The Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ) sends a notice of insurability to eligible people and indicates the amount to pay. In some cases, workers must pay the premium; consult the section about the Act Respecting Prescription Drug Insurance.

Employees who cannot insured by their hours (A, B, C, or D) may pay a premium to obtain coverage under plan Z for an insurance period if they meet all of the following conditions:

They were under 65 years of age on the first day of this insurance period;

AND

Either they are eligible for payment of a premium to obtain coverage under plan A, of a premium to obtain coverage under plan C or a premium to obtain coverage under the retirees insurance plan for this insurance period;

OR

Either they have lost their right to pay the premium to obtain coverage under plan A or to obtain coverage under the retirees insurance plan.

The premium to be paid varies in each insurance period; for the period from July to December 2024, it is $1,200 (taxes included). The hours accumulated during the reference period and those in the hour reserve adjusted to the new rate, if applicable, are used to lower the amount to pay. The supplementary hours registered in the file are also used to reduce the premium to be paid.

Example: For the insurance period of July to December 2024, a worker eligible for payment of the premium to obtain coverage under plan Z worked 100 hours during the reference period and has 50 hours in the hour reserve. During the reference period from September 2023 to February 2024, one insurance hour costs $2.99.
Premium (before taxes)	$1,100.92
Reference period hours (100hoursx$2.99/hour)	-$299
Hour reserve hours (50hoursx$2.99/hour)	-$149.50
Amount to pay before taxes	=$652.42
Taxes(9%x$615.72)	+$58.72
Amount pay to be insured under planZ	=$711.13

The Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ) sends a notice of insurability to eligible people and indicates the amount to pay. In some cases, workers must pay the premium; consult the section about the Act Respecting Prescription Drug Insurance.

Under the Act Respecting Prescription Drug Insurance, all Québecers must register for and contribute to a medication insurance plan.

Workers and retirees under 65 years of age who do not have medication insurance coverage from another insurer must be insured by MÉDIC Construction when they are eligible. If they covered by the public medication insurance administered by the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ), they must cancel that coverage.

People who are 65 years of age or over have the choice of being insured by the RAMQ or by a private insurance plan such as MÉDIC Construction.

For more information about the Act Respecting Prescription Drug Insurance, contact the RAMQ.