The benefits industry has been doing the same thing for a long time. “The question we need to ask,” said Peter Gove, Green Shield Canada innovation leader, health management, “is, ‘Does it meet the modern challenges faced within healthcare today?’”
Today, Canadians are being inundated by a tsunami of chronic illness and major health challenges. That’s one of the findings of a 2014 Green Shield Canada (GSC) study on employer-sponsored health benefits consumption in Canada, based on its database of millions of health and drug claims.
In terms of increasing costs, the study indicates significant growth in spend on the paramedical side. However, noted Gove, there appears to be a disconnect between the paramedical services provided and the illnesses Canadians are experiencing, as revealed by the pharmaceutical spend.
Levels of chronic illness experienced by Canadians—including diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and mental health issues, such as depression—are reaching epidemic proportions. But the things Canadians are paying money for, on the paramedical side, have little relationship to those conditions, the GSC study finds.
Depressed to excess
One finding that surprised Gove was the dominance of anti-depressant medications in every age range, starting at age 10 and continuing through retirement. “Canada is No. 3 among the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries for people using anti-depressants per 100,000 population,” he noted.
In terms of medical adherence for chronic modifiable conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and cholesterol, Gove asked, “Are we getting our money’s worth?” It’s a question well worth looking at: the study found the adherence rate was only 63% for anti-hypertensives, 57% for cholesterol medication and 45% for depression meds.
Even so, people today are inundated with advice on what they should be doing about their health, Gove noted. The first and foremost piece of advice? “Anybody who smokes should stop: smoking is the most preventable cause of premature death,” he said.
That aside, what one thing would Gove pick to focus on and improve in an employee wellness program? “The evidence is overwhelming: the answer to that question is exercise,” he answered. “The literature on exercise is that it impacts everything, from depression to heart disease. If you only do one thing, walk half an hour a day. That’s probably the key.”
All the articles from the event can be found in our special section: 2015 Calgary Benefits Summit Coverage.
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