The percentage of female benefits plan members using fertility drugs rose by roughly 12 per cent between 2019 and 2023, according to a new report by Manulife Financial Corp. The report, which analyzed the insurer’s 2024 aggregate claims data, found between 2021 and 2023, 15 per cent of new mothers made claims for mental-health treatments within […]
Peel Region’s extensive collection of data and strong results led to a win in the Mental Health Program category for employers with more than 1,000 employees at Benefits Canada’s 2024 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 18. In 2019, Peel Region developed a psychological health and safety framework — the Me-We-Us Framework — and committed to adopting the Canadian […]
In 2016, the Toronto Transit Commission sued its insurer for allegedly not having appropriate benefits fraud controls in place to detect unusual trends or patterns. The lawsuit was settled three years later. In the meantime, 10 people, including nine TTC employees, were convicted in relation to the scheme and more than 250 TTC staff resigned […]
The insurance company’s vice-president and head of human resources discusses embracing artificial intelligence and taking time to sit back, relax and connect with family. Q: What top challenges do you face in your role? A: A core part of my role is ensuring Manulife Canada is constantly evolving and continually looking for different ways to […]
When Jennifer Young, a global human resources business solutions consultant at Manulife Financial Corp., found out she was expecting her first child in 2021, she thought the coronavirus pandemic would pose the biggest challenge to a healthy pregnancy. But, like many parents, her journey into motherhood ended up requiring a circle of care dependent on […]
U.S. employers are projecting health benefits costs to increase by eight per cent for 2025, up from seven per cent in 2023, according to a new survey by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. It found employers cited several factors in rising costs, including catastrophic claims (20 per cent, up from 19 per cent […]
An article outlining the implications of a single-payer universal pharmacare system was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com this week. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investmnet stories of the past week: 1. Sounding Board: What plan sponsors should know about pharmacare 2. Meet the 2024 Workplace Benefits Awards judges 3. Mental-health claims by Canadians up […]
Mental-health claims by Canadians have increased by 132 per cent since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report by GreenShield. The report, which compiled data from the insurer’s claims database between 2020 to 2023, found women and younger generations account for the majority of mental-health services accessed. Among those accessing mental-health services, stress […]
The use of obesity medications among Canadian employer-sponsored benefits plan members has grown substantially, with claims increasing 42 per cent in 2023 and roughly 92 per cent since 2020, according to a new report by Manulife Financial Corp. The report, based on aggregate claims data, found more women are using obesity drugs than men (79 […]
This Mental Health Week and beyond, employers can support employee mental health using digital toolkits, mental-health coaching and by providing adequate coverage, says Marie-Chantal Côtè, senior vice-president of group benefits at Sun Life Financial Inc. Mental-health practitioner claims more than doubled between 2019 and 2023, according to a recent report by Sun Life that examined claims […]