The Health Plan Inc. (The Health Plan) and its affiliated companies
Privacy Statement
Maintaining the privacy of our clients has been a fundamental part of our operations since our inception. We are committed to ensuring the accuracy, confidentiality and security of the information we hold about you. This practice is more than a legal requirement to us. We feel it is our ethical obligation to you.

As a result of our efforts to ensure our compliance with the Federal Privacy Legislation, Bill C-6, we will be able to address your privacy concerns more effectively and efficiently. We assure you that the personal information we currently collect is used only to provide you with the high level of service you have come to expect from The Health Plan Inc. and its affiliated companies.

The nature of our business requires a relationship of respect with the users of our Web sites. As with other companies that maintain Internet sites, we want you to know about our Internet privacy practices. The following statement sets forth our current practices and applies to www.thehealthplan.com and any other sites that are owned, operated and controlled by The Health Plan Inc. or its affiliated companies in Canada. Changes to this Internet privacy statement may be made at any time, as described in Section 1 of the Terms of Use. 

If you have any questions or concerns about your privacy, please contact us for further information.
Our Code for the Protection of Personal Information
Introduction 

We collect two kinds of information about our Web site users: personal and non-personal information. Personal information is information that can identify an individual personally, such as name, address or product information. We collect personal information only when it is voluntarily offered and solely for purposes that are clearly identified on the Web Site. For example, if you choose to register for a newsletter, the information that is collected online is used only to facilitate your requests, process any transactions you might initiate, or update your account information.

Non-personal information is collected to track the total number of guests visiting www.thehealthplan.com or any other affiliated sites that are owned and to guide our efforts to improve the Web sites as required. To achieve these improvements, these Web site, like many Web sites, use "cookies" (a small text file placed on the user's hard drive) to facilitate site navigation, maintain quality of online service, provide additional security, and allow the customization of your access to the Web site. Cookies themselves do not enable us to access any personal information about our users; however, they do allow us to analyze use of the Web site. The "cookies" automatically collect information about your computer hardware and software, which can include browser type, access times and Internet Protocol (IP) address. The Web site does not use "cookies" to collect information for distribution to third parties for any purpose, nor does it use "cookies" to secure information from other Web sites you may visit.

We may personalize your user experience by using information about your interests to recommend other services or sites that might be of interest to you. We may also monitor user traffic patterns and site usage to help provide enhancements to our services. We may use the information the site collects to notify you about new services or special offers.

In adopting our Code for the Protection of Personal Information, what has been our accepted practice becomes our documented commitment to you.

Principles

Ten interrelated principles form the basis of The Health Plan Inc. and its affiliated companies Code for the Protection of Personal Information.

Accountability

The Health Plan Inc. and it’s affiliated companies is responsible for personal information under its control and has designated an individual who is accountable for the compliance of The Health Plan Inc. and its affiliated companies with the principles of the Code. 

Identifying Purposes

When establishing a new or enhanced client relationship, The Health Plan Inc. and its affiliated companies will identify the purposes for which personal information is collected at the time or before the information is collected.

Consent

The knowledge and consent of the individual are required for the collection, use, or disclosure of personal information, except as otherwise required or permitted by law.

The Health Plan Inc. and its affiliated companies will assume that you wish us to continue to use your personal information in the same manner and for the same purposes as we have in the past. You can instruct us otherwise by notifying our Privacy Officer in writing using the form at the end of this document.

An individual may withdraw his/her consent to the collection, use or disclosure of information at any time subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice.

Limiting Collection

The collection of personal information shall be limited to that which is necessary for the purposes identified by The Health Plan Inc. and its affiliated companies. The Health Plan Inc. and its affiliated companies shall collect personal information by fair and lawful means only.

The Health Plan Inc. and its affiliated companies may collect information from external sources, such as credit reporting agencies and income sources, identified or known to The Health Plan Inc. and its affiliated companies for these purposes. 

Limiting Use, Disclosure, and Retention

The Health Plan Inc. and its affiliated companies shall not use or disclose personal information for purposes other than those for which it was collected, except with the consent of the individual or as required by law. The Health Plan Inc. and its affiliated companies shall retain personal information only as long as necessary for the fulfillment of identified purposes.

Accuracy

The Health Plan Inc. and its affiliated companies shall ensure that any personal information collected and used is as accurate, complete, and up-to-date as is necessary for the purposes for which it is used. The Health Plan Inc. and its affiliated companies will generally rely on individual clients to provide updated information such as changes to the client addresses and other contact information.

Safeguards

The Health Plan Inc. and its affiliated companies shall protect all personal information retained by it by using security safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the personal information. The Health Plan Inc. and its affiliated companies will take the same standard of care as it takes to safeguard its own confidential information of a similar nature.

Employees of The Health Plan Inc. and its affiliated companies are individually required to abide by a Code of Conduct, including a commitment to keep an individual’s personal information in strict confidence.

Openness

The Health Plan Inc. and its affiliated companies shall make specific, understandable information about its policies and practices relating to the management of personal information readily available to individuals.

Individual Access

Upon receipt of a request in writing, The Health Plan Inc. and its affiliated companies will inform an individual of the existence, use, and disclosure of his/her personal information, and will give that individual access to that individual’s personal information retained by The Health Plan Inc. and its affiliated companies, except where the law requires or The Health Plan Inc. and its affiliated companies, with reason and with a legal right, denies access. An individual is entitled to question the accuracy and completeness of the personal information we retain and to have it amended as appropriate. An individual may be required to pay a fee for his/her request, but only if The Health Plan Inc. and its affiliated companies has informed the individual of the cost and the individual has agreed to proceed with the request.

Compliance

An individual may question the compliance of The Health Plan Inc. and its affiliated companies with the above principles. Such inquires shall be directed to:
The Health Plan Inc.
Attention: Privacy Officer
P.O. Box 133, Station A
Etobicoke, Ontario
M9C 4V2
Telephone: (905) 274-7867
Facsimile (905) 891-2604
E-mail:  Privacy.officer@thehealthplan.ca
Download a printable “Withdrawal of Consent” Form