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Essentials for Physicians

OMA Essentials: protection for after residency. Image

OMA Essentials: protection for after residency.

Offer includes Group Term Life Plus 75 Insurance, Disability Insurance or Professional Overhead Expense coverage.

One of the most valuable options built for you.

A bundled offer of insurance products that can be customized to meet your specific needs. After completing 120 days of residency or fellowship, you can apply for Essentials for Physicians.


Apply to Essentials within 120 days of successfully completing residency or fellowship to take advantage of this offer with a simplified underwriting application.

Need advice? Our expert insurance advisors are here to help.

The benefits of Essentials for Physicians

Discounts

Get a 50 per cent discount on your Professional Overhead Expense Insurance during your first two years of practice.

Choice of step or level rate premiums

Choose which works best for you. Step rates change according to your age, while level rates remain level over time1.

Protection

Coverage allows members to focus on their recovery instead of worrying about financial stability.

Bundle benefits for Essentials coverage

Disability Insurance

Disability Insurance can be a cost-effective way members can protect themselves and their family with a reliable flow of income during a period when they are unable to work. With the OMA Essentials Offer, members are eligible for disability benefits of up to $5,000/month with a 90-day elimination period2.

Enhance and increase your coverage

With the Guaranteed Insurability Benefit3 rider, coverage can be increased without medical evidence if members remain within the following limits:

  • Up to $8,500/month for a general practitioner4

  • Up to $11,000/month for a specialist or emergency room physician4

The Cost of Living Adjustment rider allows member benefits to keep pace with inflation as advised by the Consumer Price Index by increasing the monthly benefit once a member has been disabled for 12 consecutive months.

The Own Occupation rider expands the definition of Total Disability, so that members are considered totally disabled and receive full benefits even if they return to work performing different duties and suffer no loss of income.

With the Retirement Protection rider, members can receive an additional monthly benefit that is locked-in, through a non-registered retirement fund while they are totally disabled after completing the 90-day elimination period. These retirement benefits are payable when members reach age 65 or upon death. 

Find out more about Disability Insurance.

Term Life Plus 75 Insurance

With Essentials, you may be eligible for $200,0005 of Group Term Life Insurance6 with no medical underwriting at the time of application. Higher coverage amounts are available with medical underwriting.

Learn more about Life Insurance.

Professional Overhead Expense Insurance

The OMA Essentials offers Professional Overhead Expense Insurance of up to $5,000/month with a 30-day elimination period. Premiums are discounted 50 per cent during your first two years of practice. This coverage compliments existing Disability Insurance by providing reimbursement payments for professional overhead expenses that come with running a practice.

Enhance and increase your coverage 

With the Guaranteed Insurability Benefit rider, members may increase coverage as their practice grows. Talk to an OMA Insurance advisor about the options.

Read about Professional Overhead Expense Insurance.

Frequently asked questions

You are eligible if you:

  • Are under the age of 60
  • Are a member in good standing of the OMA or an Atlantic medical association/society
  • Have successfully completed residency training and are covered under the OMA Group Disability Insurance and/or PARO, Maritime Residents Doctors or PARNL Disability plan, or any Canadian or United States medical resident association disability plan, or an individual disability policy
  • Reside anywhere in Canada (excluding Quebec) on the date the enrolment form was signed
  • Have not previously obtained coverage through the Essentials for Physicians offer

If you miss the deadline and would like to apply for coverage, you are required to apply for each product individually (with medical evidence).

OMA Insurance works to streamline the application process as much as possible, reducing the complexity and time required to arrange coverage. Here are the steps required:

  1. Fill out an application. Obtain your printable application form by calling us at 1-800-758-1641. Once completed, simply send the form back to omainfo@sunlife.com.
  2. Insurer receives completed application. The application form must be received within 120 days of successful completion of residency or fellowship to apply without medical or financial evidence. Our insurer, Sun Life, will receive and review your application form, and may contact you to discuss any details.
  3. Receive your certificate(s). It usually takes four to six weeks for the insurer, Sun Life, to process all the information. Once completed, your certificate(s) will be sent to you.7

A claims package will be sent to you by Sun Life. This package will include forms to be completed by you and a form to be completed by your treating physician. Also, the OMA Insurance Programs offer the services of an independent claims consultant to assist you during the initial stages of submitting your claim, providing assistance by reviewing the claim and your insurance coverage with you. Should you be interested in this support, exclusive to OMA members, please call 1.800.758.1641, option 2 for more information. 

Get a quote

Coverage is simple and the premiums are exclusive to members. Rates depend on a variety of factors such as sex at birth, age and smoking status. To learn more, including information on eligibility, renewability, limitations and exclusions, and to get a quote, simply contact OMA Insurance at info@omainsurance.com or 1-800-758-1641, or use the rate calculator.


While you are automatically enrolled into Step-Rates, you have the option to convert to Level Rate up to age 65 with no medical evidence. Step-Rates change according to your age band (under 30, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69) at the time of your plan renewal, whereas Level premium rates have been designed to remain level over time as you age and cannot be adjusted on an individual basis due to changes in your age or health. However, Level premium rates may change from time to time on a group basis depending on the insurance costs of the group. While we cannot guarantee that rates will not be adjusted in the future, the OMA Disability Insurance Plan has a long history of stable rates. Premiums are renewable yearly and subject to applicable provincial taxes. Please note that for the 70+ DI Coverage option, only Step-Rates are available.

2 The elimination period is the period of time you must be disabled before benefits become payable.

3 Provided you are practising a minimum of 25 hours per week within 120 days of successfully completing your residency program and under the age of 50.

4 Maximum coverage combined from OMA Group DI Policies 2718, 59997, 17849 and 140004.

5 Term Life Plus 75 insurance coverage begins to reduce at age 66. Premiums do not reduce. If you have existing in-force life insurance coverage previously obtained under the Student Special Offer, you are not eligible.

6 If you are not completely satisfied with your coverage, simply return it without claim within the 30-day risk-free, free look period for a full refund of all premiums paid. 

7 The application form must be signed in and the Certificate of Insurance must be delivered to a province or territory other than Quebec.

The Essentials offer is underwritten by Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada. Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada is the insurer of this product and is a member of the Sun Life group of companies. For inquiries, please call Sun Life’s Client Care Centre at 1-800-758-1641, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET. or visit www.sunlife.ca.

For complete details regarding coverage, please see the terms and conditions of Policies 140004 and 20647. If there is any conflict between this document and the wording of the policies (or the certificate), the wording of the policies will govern. A copy of the policy may be requested.

The Essentials offer contains a policy underwritten by New York Life Insurance Company. The life insurance material describes the Group Term Plus 75 coverage under Policy G-29500 in very general terms. Complete terms are governed by the group insurance policy issued by New York Life Insurance Company, Canadian Chief Agency, 2100 Scotia Plaza, 40 King St. West, Toronto, Ontario M5H 3C2 on Policy Form GMR-FACE for (Life Insurance). If you become insured under the policy, you will receive a certificate of insurance outlining the details of your coverage. Coverage will continue as long as premiums are paid when due.

Premium rates and discounts are not guaranteed and are subject to change upon notice.

Exclusions and limitations may apply.

Important Notice: Effective February 1, 2023, Canadian Premier Life Insurance Company (“Canadian Premier”), acquired the Association and Affinity business of Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada (“Sun Life”). Any reference you see to “Sun Life” on this website or on insurance documents you may receive, should be considered referring to “Canadian Premier”. 

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