Obesity has long been misunderstood and stigmatized as a lifestyle condition instead of a complex disease, said Rami Halabi, a medical science liaison with Novo Nordisk, during a webinar hosted by Benefits Canada and sponsored by Novo Nordisk in November. The condition isn’t just a measure of size, but a progressive, relapsing chronic disease characterized […]
Canadian employees who are experiencing conflict in the workplace lose an average of 55 workdays in productivity each year, according to Telus Health’s latest mental-health index. The survey, which polled more than 3,000 employees, found workers who have been diagnosed with anxiety (21 per cent) and depression (14 per cent) reported a loss of 55 […]
While employees dealing with mental-health challenges like depression need quality and personalized care as quickly as possible, people seeking care through the public health system face months- or years-long wait times, according to Diane McIntosh, a psychiatrist and founder and chief medical officer of RAPIDS Health, speaking during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2023 Mental Health Summit. “We […]
As employers increasingly embrace diversity, equity and inclusion strategies, strong mental-health support can be a key pillar in those efforts, said Joby McKenzie, managing director for Canada at Teladoc Health, during Benefits Canada‘s 2023 Healthy Outcomes Conference in October. Highlighting statistics showing the mental-health disparities across diverse groups, she noted a third of Indigenous people […]
As the proportion of Canadians living with one or more chronic disease continues to rise, plan sponsors have the opportunity to provide specific solutions to some of the most common conditions in their employee population, said Karen Callaghan, senior director of chronic disease education and patient support at Novo Nordisk, during Benefits Canada‘s 2023 Healthy […]
More than half (57 per cent) of U.S. workers say they’re currently experiencing at least moderate levels of burnout, according to a new report by Aflac Inc. The survey, which polled 2,000 employees, found workplace stress is disproportionately affecting both women and younger workers. Indeed, 75 per cent of women reported experiencing burnout at work, […]
Nearly three-quarters (71 per cent) of women say financial struggles due to inflation are impacting their mental health and finances are becoming more of a barrier to accessing mental-health support, according to a new survey by GreenShield and Mental Health Research Canada. The survey, which polled more than 12,000 Canadians, found women were 30 per […]
In 2022, some of the top chronic conditions affecting group benefits plans were diabetes, obesity, depression and arthritis. Diabetes was the No. 1 ranked condition for drug claims in 2022, knocking rheumatoid arthritis down to the No. 2 spot, according to Telus Health’s annual drug plan trends report. And the 2023 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey […]
Canada’s most recent census found there are 59,460 Canadians aged 15 or older who identify as transgender and 41,355 who identified as non-binary. However, these individuals disproportionately experience egregious discrimination and are most at risk of violence — sexual assault, in particular — than their cisgender counterparts. A lack of support and action by employers to […]
Half (51 per cent) of Canadian benefits plan members say they understand their plan extremely or very well, down from 65 per cent in 2018, according to the 2023 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey. It found plan members’ top sources for information about their benefits plan were websites (69 per cent), followed at some distance by […]