Benefits Canada is extending the deadline for entering the 2019 Workplace Benefits Awards to Monday, July 15. The annual awards, which will be held in Toronto on Oct. 17, recognize employers and plan sponsors that are leading the industry in their approaches to supporting the mental, physical and financial well-being of their employees. Enter the 2019 Workplace […]
Two-thirds (65 per cent) of plan sponsors said they have a specific objective for their health benefits plan in the coming year, according to the 2019 Sanofi health-care survey. The survey found 23 per cent of plan sponsors strongly agreed they have specific objectives, a 13 per cent increase from last year’s survey. “Having a plan objective and […]
More than half (54 per cent) of Canadian workers reported having at least one chronic disease or condition, according to the 2019 Sanofi Canada health-care survey. The five most common issues were mental illness, hypertension, high cholesterol, arthritis and diabetes. Nearly half (42 per cent) of respondents also reported having chronic pain, describing it as […]
An expert panel is calling for the federal government to work with the provinces and territories to create a single-payer public pharmacare program. Eric Hoskins, Ontario’s former health minister, released the findings in Ottawa on Wednesday, noting the recommendations aim to address the country’s patchwork of private and public prescription drug plans. The council is recommending […]
Plan sponsors and members are increasingly interested in making non-core benefits like pharmacogenetic testing and medical cannabis part of their plans, according to the 2019 Sanofi Canada health-care survey. For pharmacogenetics, 74 per cent of plan members said they’d consent to giving a sample of their DNA so a physician could prescribe the most effective medication […]
While just half (49 per cent) of plan members said changes were made to their benefits plan in the past two years, 72 per cent of plan sponsors reported they made changes, according to the 2019 Sanofi Canada health-care survey. More than half (51 per cent) of members said they didn’t know of any changes to their […]
The National Football League and the NFL Players Association are putting more resources in place for players’ pain management and behavioural health through new union agreements. The two parties will be forming a joint pain management committee, with medical experts appointed by both the league and the union, according to a press release. The committee will […]
Benefits plans tackle everything from retirement to rheumatoid arthritis, but should they help employees cross items off their bucket lists, too? In her research, Erica Pearson, co-founder and chief executive officer of Vacation Fund Inc., says usually about 50 per cent of people indicated they don’t have the budget to take vacation and 50 per cent […]
Most people agree massage offers some therapeutic benefits, such as reduction of muscle tension and pain related to soft tissue strains and injuries. Studies have also shown it’s helpful in treating symptoms related to anxiety, digestive disorders, headaches and several other conditions. It wasn’t that long ago that paramedical practitioners represented about 15 to 20 per […]
Foodora couriers are leading an effort to join the Canadian Union of Postal Workers to negotiate with their employer for fairer pay and basic benefits. The Justice for Foodora Couriers group says the company’s classification of its couriers as independent contractors allows it to avoid paying for basic employee benefits, such as the Canada Pension Plan and employment insurance, […]