One day you have the security of a group healthcare plan to help fill the gaps left by your provincial health insurance coverage. The next, as a result of retirement, your benefits may be gone, and you face paying for routine medical expenses such as prescription drugs, dental services, prescription eyewear and chiropractic visits, out of your own pocket.

To complicate matters, if an accident or illness were to occur, the significant out-of-pocket expenses you would have to pay, in addition to those everyday healthcare bills, could quickly leave you in financial jeopardy.

If your existing group plan does not offer a continuation option for medical benefits, you'll have to shop for individual coverage. How healthy you are will make a big difference in the policies you can buy.

All individual health plans are medically underwritten and they will exclude current medications you are taking. Unlike with group policies, you must disclose your medical condition to obtain individual coverage. If you have a pre-existing condition, such as heart disease, cancer or diabetes, you will, in most cases, be denied coverage or offered an extremely limited plan.

To deal with this problem, CAUT has negotiated access to ManuLi fe's "FollowMe" plan. The plan provides comprehensive coverage without a medical to all CAUT members who apply for coverage within 60 days of retirement.

In addition, special one-time arrangements are being negotiated for exisiting retirees, so they can also obtain coverage without a medical examination.

Details of the plan will be available soon at www.caut.ca.