Since Ontario’s youth pharmacare program took effect on Jan. 1, the number of drug claims for those under the age of 25 has been cut in half compared to the first three months of 2017, translating into average savings of four per cent for private drug plans, according to Telus Health. Its annual research, which […]
It has been a busy period for changes to public drug programs in Ontario, as the provincial government has been working on policies with the potential to offer savings to private benefits plans: pharmacare coverage for people under the age of 25 and upgrades to the Trillium drug program for people with high drug costs. […]
As plan sponsors wait for more information on changes to Ontario’s Trillium program for catastrophic drug costs, the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has signalled they won’t be happening by September as previously believed. Early this year, the ministry informally announced it would automate the current paper-based system as of this fall. The […]
With drug plan costs back on the upswing amid unprecedented increases for stop-loss or pooling insurance, benefits advisors and insurers are seeing more plan sponsors voicing concerns over sustainability and showing a greater willingness to take actions beyond seeking the best rates at renewal time. “The industry is in the process of reacting to what’s […]
Without a doubt, drug plan management has become more complex. Growing utilization has been a driving factor for more than a decade, but the emergence of higher-cost specialty pharmaceuticals in recent years has taken drug plan management to a whole new level. At the June 2016 meeting of the Canadian Leadership Council on Drug Plan […]
Universal Music Canada Inc. got a wake-up call in 2009, when the renewal of its insured benefits plan for about 180 employees added an unprecedented 14 per cent to the bottom line. A look at claims data revealed an inaugural claim for a biologic drug and a 27 per cent increase in spending on paramedical […]
When Andrew Martin joined the HR department at Joey Restaurant Group eight years ago, the company hadn’t touched its paper-based, administrative services-only drug plan in many years. Martin was quick to make changes, bringing in a flexible plan, drug cards, generic substitution and copayments based on dispensing fees. Still, he stopped short of reducing the […]
KINGSTON, Ont. — Plan members with diabetes who work in Kingston may become part of a unique pilot project in the near future following a gathering this week of employers and other health-care participants that considered better ways to manage chronic disease. The diverse gathering of about 60 people on Jan. 27 included plan sponsors, pharmacists, […]
At a luncheon last week for the benefits industry, the Ontario Pharmacists Association (OPA) unveiled its chronic disease management program for diabetes, developed with the workplace in mind. OPA is making the pitch to work directly with insurance carriers or plan sponsors to implant the program as a coaching service for eligible plan members. It […]
For every dollar invested in pharmacist services, many more will be saved because plan members with chronic conditions will be healthier—and may even be able to drop medications they no longer need. Such was the case put forward by presenters at the 2015 Pharmacy Solutions in Drug Plan Management conference in October in Toronto. While […]