In its 2019 budget on Tuesday, the federal government confirmed it will work with partners to move forward on three foundational elements of national pharmacare. The initial steps are the creation of a new national drug agency and a national formulary, which were both recommended by the advisory council on the implementation of national pharmacare in its interim […]
The introduction of more flexible annuity options for capital accumulation plans and reform to prescription drug coverage are among the recommendations by the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association for the 2019 federal budget. In a letter to the Ministry of Finance, the CLHIA highlighted the increasing need for Canadian retirees to convert some or all of […]
While insurers are consistently providing innovative plan design options for employers, that doesn’t detract from the reality that it’s a difficult time for employers, according to the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association’s Karen Voin. “At the heart of it, they want to ensure they’re not impacting their employees, and are really conscious of what the impact […]
For most of my 25 years in the benefits industry, the pace of change has been more evolutionary than revolutionary. However, the past few years have seen a noticeable expansion of innovation and services offered through benefits plan providers. Here are my top five picks for benefits trends and issues to watch in 2019: 1. Virtual health […]
As 2018 draws to a close, and the benefits and pension industry looks ahead, what’s next for the year’s biggest topics? Stephen Frank, president and chief executive officer of the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association, is expecting a shift from Canadian and global regulators in the way they govern how customers are treated: an […]
The benefits, pension, investment and human resources industries were brimming with news in November. Here are the 10 most popular online stories on BenefitsCanada.com: 1. A primer on the incoming CPP/QPP enhancements 2. Maximum pensionable earnings for 2019 and other CRA updates 3. Pharmacist-led nutritional intervention touted in reversal of type 2 diabetes 4. Canada-model pensions […]
The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association is asking the Ontario government to act cautiously in welcoming private label products under the provincial drug program and allowing them to be interchangeable with other products. Presently, the Ontario Drug Benefit Act doesn’t list private label products as drug products, meaning they’re not eligible for public funding under the drug benefit program. […]
Spending on prescription drugs is expected to total $33.7 billion in 2018, according to a new report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information. Of that total, $19.3 billion will come from private insurance and individuals paying out of pocket, while the remaining $14.4 billion will be financed by the public sector. As a whole, drug spending […]
The 2018 Calgary Drug Trends Summit shone a spotlight on a wide range of trends, from new advances in drug and lifestyle therapies to the impact of cannabis legalization on benefits coverage to drug plan cost management. Here are some of the highlights of the sessions: A look at pharmacist-led deprescribing using therapeutic nutrition intervention Achieving radiant […]