The unmet medical needs across Canada are substantial, with the number of Canadians using cannabis for medical needs — close to 15 per cent of individuals over age 16 — one of the best barometers, said Dr. Steven Grover, professor of medicine at McGill University, during Benefits Canada’s 2022 Mental Health Summit in November. “For […]
The first issue of Benefits Canada hit the desks of the country’s human resources, benefits, pension and investment professionals in 1977, four years before I was born. That same year, Canada’s inflation rate was eight per cent, very close to July 2022’s annualized inflation rate of 7.6 per cent. A lot has changed in 45 […]
Our industry sometimes gets a bad rap for being overly traditional and slow to change. But there’s no question we’ve seen some major shifts in employee benefits over the past 45 years. Three of those shifts will have implications for employers going forward. Greater onus on the individual to save for retirement Over the years, […]
I was a little daunted to write a piece for Benefits Canada’s 45th anniversary issue — it has been almost 15 years since I last penned a column for the magazine and I’m a little out of practice. The assignment seemed straightforward — 500 to 600 words on how benefits have evolved or what’s expected […]
The coronavirus pandemic has marked a sea change in how Canadians receive health care. While just four per cent of primary care visits were conducted virtually pre-pandemic, that rose to roughly 60 per cent after the onset of the global health crisis. This represents an opportunity to reshape how health care can be delivered and, in […]
Canadian employers are turning their focus to updating their benefits plans and ensuring a strong employee experience in an effort to address the challenges employees are facing in the coronavirus pandemic and to attract key talent in a tight labour market. “Many companies are adding new services to their benefits plans to support their employees […]
Living with Type 1 diabetes is like having a full-time job on top of managing a day job and life commitments — one that involves making constant risk assessments and difficult decisions throughout the day. “‘How many carbs did I eat? How much insulin do I need for that? Am I going to exercise later […]
When Kristy Dickinson’s health took a turn eight years ago and she was diagnosed with a rare and complex disease, she stepped away from her role in recruitment. Managing her chronic illness — from the appointments with her specialist, the information-gathering and sharing across three hospital jurisdictions and the medications and expenses — was too […]
A typical patient’s journey takes plan members from the doctor to the pharmacy for medication and then leaves them on their own. But employees’ lives aren’t static, with factors like age, mental and physical health, stress and activity level having the potential to impact how effectively those medications work, said Frederic Simard, co-founder and chief […]
Employers, employees and benefits advisors alike have long struggled with the inefficient and largely paper-based approach to administrating benefits. Advisors face long wait times for quotes, employers face the annoyance of a slow onboarding process that prevents employees from accessing their benefits immediately after enrolment and employees can have difficulty submitting claims and face confusion […]