Latest news in Health benefits

How the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance works

How the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance works

Established in 2010, the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance includes all 13 provinces and territories and, since January 2016, the federal government. While the alliance has touted…

  • By: Staff
  • May 6, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 14:47
Catastrophic illness coverage needed to address outdated benefit plans

Catastrophic illness coverage needed to address outdated benefit plans

Despite the billions of dollars spent on health care in Canada by both public and private payers, there’s a significant gap in the coverage available…

12% of U.S. employers provide transgender-inclusive benefits: survey

12% of U.S. employers provide transgender-inclusive benefits: survey

Just 12 per cent of U.S. employers offer transgender-inclusive benefits, finds a survey from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. The survey, which polled 577 human resources…

  • By: Staff
  • May 5, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 09:25
Veterans Affairs urged to better manage drug plan, marijuana costs

Veterans Affairs urged to better manage drug plan, marijuana costs

The federal auditor general is urging Veterans Affairs Canada to step up efforts to secure lower drug prices and look for ways to control spending on…

Global health-care benefits costs are on the rise: survey

Global health-care benefits costs are on the rise: survey

The cost of employee health-care benefits around the globe is increasing, driven by the higher cost of hospital and inpatient services, medical technology and the overuse…

  • By: Staff
  • April 28, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 09:00
$20M benefits fraud, kickbacks case underway in Sudbury

$20M benefits fraud, kickbacks case underway in Sudbury

Kickbacks for health benefits billed to multinational industrial company Atlas Copco Canada Inc. are at the centre of a criminal trial underway in Sudbury, Ont., that’s…

Justices of the peace win reprieve from pension, benefits changes

Justices of the peace win reprieve from pension, benefits changes

It seems even the judiciary isn’t immune to efforts to rein in benefits plans, including post-retirement coverage. In a recent decision of Ontario’s Divisional Court,…

New Morneau EAP alliance reflects evolving benefits market in Asia

New Morneau EAP alliance reflects evolving benefits market in Asia

As multinational companies expand into new markets, services such as employee assistance programs are taking off on a global level as well. “At a macro level, there is a…

Editorial: Employees with cancer need your support

Editorial: Employees with cancer need your support

When it came to her workplace experience while undergoing cancer treatment, Lisa Redmond lived in what she admits was a “fairy-tale world.” Not only does…

Group benefits providers report: Insurers get a boost in the battle against fraud

Group benefits providers report: Insurers get a boost in the battle against fraud

Compliance is one of the hallmarks of the insurance industry, but with amendments to federal privacy laws last year, group benefits providers are facing a…

In numbers: A look at workplace support for employees with cancer

At the 2016 Employers Cancer Care Summit in Toronto in February, Benefits Canada presented the results of exclusive research into the workplace experience of employees…

  • By: Staff
  • April 15, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 00:00
Empire Life introduces service for pay-direct drug plans

Empire Life introduces service for pay-direct drug plans

The Empire Life Insurance Company has introduced a service for those with pay-direct insurance plans to help employers better manage the cost of their drug benefits.…

  • By: Staff
  • April 13, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 09:00
Deadline approaching to submit nominations for the Workplace Benefits Awards

Deadline approaching to submit nominations for the Workplace Benefits Awards

Do you deserve to be recognized as one of Canada’s leading employers? Time is running short to submit a nomination for Benefits Canada‘s annual Workplace Benefits Awards.…

  • By: Staff
  • April 12, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 09:34
Is it time for employee consumerism?

Is it time for employee consumerism?

I had an excellent chat with an employer client recently about why the concept of employee consumerism hasn’t really caught on in Canada. Is it a…

A look at political donations by the pensions and benefits sector

A look at political donations by the pensions and benefits sector

With Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne vowing to implement major reforms to political fundraising in Ontario, what has the pension and benefits industry been up to…

TTC hosts diabetes screening campaign for staff

TTC hosts diabetes screening campaign for staff

The Toronto Transit Commission has hosted its first diabetes screening campaign, making the onsite screening available to its 12,000 employees in December. Dr. Alain Sotto,…

The Bradford Group/Hammacher Schlemmer adds to voluntary benefits plan

The Bradford Group/Hammacher Schlemmer adds to voluntary benefits plan

Global catalogue and internet retailer The Bradford Group/Hammacher Schlemmer added a number of new options to its voluntary benefits program during its latest enrolment in a…

Who are the top earners in pensions and HR in Ontario’s public sector?

Who are the top earners in pensions and HR in Ontario’s public sector?

What’s the going rate for high-ranking employees involved in pensions, benefits and human resources in Ontario’s public sector? Using the sunshine list for 2015, Benefits Canada compiled…

Ontario passes legislation to support first responders with PTSD

Ontario passes legislation to support first responders with PTSD

Ontario passed legislation today that creates a presumption that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosed in first responders is work-related. Introduced in February and passed today, the…

  • By: Staff
  • April 5, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 12:20
Should employers reduce massage coverage in their benefits plans?

Should employers reduce massage coverage in their benefits plans?

With plan sponsors facing growing pressure from rising drug costs, is it time for them to cut back on paramedical services like massage therapy in…

  • By: Staff
  • April 4, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 16:19
Willis Towers Watson introduces mortality model

Willis Towers Watson introduces mortality model

Willis Towers Watson has developed a model that helps insurance companies and pension funds to predict mortality patterns to more accurately price insurance cover, calculate…

  • By: Staff
  • April 4, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 10:41
Benefits plan design touted as key to optimizing company spend

Benefits plan design touted as key to optimizing company spend

The clear message when Loblaw and Shoppers Drug Mart prepared to redesigned their benefits plan was that they weren’t going to spend any more money. “When…

  • March 31, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 16:45
Education minister: Teachers no sicker than before they lost right to bank sick days

Education minister: Teachers no sicker than before they lost right to bank sick days

Education Minister Liz Sandals says it looks like Ontario teachers are taking more sick days because they lost the right to bank them and take…

Flexibility and financial literacy among topics at 2016 Benefits and Pension Summit

Flexibility and financial literacy among topics at 2016 Benefits and Pension Summit

From the role of technology in drug plan management to how to create an action-oriented mental health strategy, the group benefits stream at Benefits Canada‘s 2016 Benefits and Pension Summit will cover…

Why drug plan sponsors need more complete information

Why drug plan sponsors need more complete information

Making decisions with incomplete information can be a fact of life for anyone – personally or professionally. That being said, the degree of information that plan sponsors,…

  • March 28, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 09:31