Canadian employers are taking varied approaches to leave, compensation and benefits during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey by Aon. The survey, conducted between April 1 and 3, found two in five employers said they’ve laid workers off temporarily. About a quarter (23 per cent) said they’ve encouraged workers to take annual leave, […]
Manulife Financial Corp. is lending a hand to group benefits plan sponsors in light of the tight financial situation many businesses are in due to the coronavirus pandemic. The insurer is providing certain premium relief for all group benefits plan sponsors with an insured non-refund accounted benefits plan with Manulife. For the month of May, dental […]
The Canada Life Assurance Co. is cutting its health insurance premiums for its employer-sponsored benefits plans to support small- and medium-sized businesses facing hardship as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. “We recognize that many businesses are challenged right now and we are wholeheartedly committed to supporting them however we can,” said Jeff Macoun, president and […]
With the coronavirus pandemic affecting many businesses, employers are considering their options for shifting their benefits plan spend. Usage rates for benefits such as dental and paramedical services, which generally have high uptake among plan members, are currently in decline, since non-essential business are shuttered for the foreseeable future and Canadians are staying at home. “Specifically in […]
As U.S. employers look to keep their workers safe and healthy in the face of the global pandemic, they could see their health-care benefits costs jump by as much as seven per cent this year as a result of coronavirus-related testing and treatment, according to an actuarial analysis of self-funded employers by Willis Towers Watson. […]
Over the past couple of years, I’ve been relentlessly pestered by my dentist’s office. I’ve lost track of the frequency of texts, emails and phone calls. When the overt neediness increased even more at the end of last year, I realized it had barely been six months since our last date. Is it just me […]
With prescription drugs and paramedical benefits taking up an increasingly large portion of employers’ benefits spend, dental benefits often avoid the spotlight. But consultants and insurers are emphasizing a few dental issues for plan sponsors to consider in 2020. Over-billing Though GE Canada isn’t focusing on dental benefits in this year’s renewal process, Diana McNiven, […]
At the start of a new decade, it makes sense to look in the rear-view mirror to better understand where the industry is going. For drug plans, a crescendo of forecasts have predicted skyrocketing benefits costs, driven by high-cost drugs. That talk has only increased the cries for a national pharmacare strategy to make drugs more affordable. Looking back […]
Employees at steelmaker Ivaco Rolling Mills Ltd. in L’Orignal. Ont. have ratified new collective agreements that include improvements to their wages and benefits. About 400 employees who are members of United Steelworkers locals 7940 and 8794 voted this week to ratify five-year collective agreements. The new contracts include improvements to benefits, including long-term disability, vision […]
On the health benefits front, readers were focused on paid leave, legislative changes, medical cannabis and a range of other issues in 2019. Benefits Canada rounds up the industry’s most popular health and benefits stories of the year: 1. Employers urged to prepare for incoming EI parental sharing benefit 2. WSIB policy on medical cannabis takes effect 3. Scotiabank adds extra paid personal days […]