There has seen a “huge increase” in mental-health practitioner claims following the coronavirus pandemic, said Sylvana Leclerc, organizational health consultant for integrated health solutions at Sun Life Financial Inc., during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2024 Vancouver Benefits Summit in May. Citing findings from the insurer’s annual Health by Design report, she said in 2022, […]
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 […]
Plan sponsors worried about the expense and sustainability of their drug plan might initially embrace a pharmacare plan, hoping to shift drug costs to a new program funded by provincial and federal governments. However, this may not be the solution it seems. A single-payer universal pharmacare system might limit medication access for individuals with employer-sponsored benefits […]
Institutional investors are navigating two massive innovations, namely artificial intelligence and artificial incretins, said Jennifer O’Hara Martin, global equity portfolio specialist at T. Rowe Price, during the Canadian Investment Review‘s 2024 Global Investment Conference in April. People tend to compare the current AI trend to the technology bubble of the 2000s and while its infrastructure is similar, […]
The federal government’s pharmacare bill is headed to the Senate after passing third reading in the House of Commons. The bill was the result of careful and lengthy negotiations between the Liberals and the New Democratic Party as a key element of their political pact to prevent an early election. Read: Liberals table bill paving way […]
While the concept behind the federal government’s universal pharmacare plan is well intentioned, the program would make a larger impact for employers by focusing on high-cost and specialty drugs, says Pam Martin, vice-president and senior consultant at Baynes & White Inc. In theory, the way that the government is rolling out the program in small […]
In 2023, diabetes medications remained the leading drug category for eligible private insurance claims for the second consecutive year, according to Telus Health’s annual drug trends report. The report, based on claims data from more than 15 million plan members in 2023, found the growing prevalence of diabetes, along with expanded heart failure treatment indications and […]
A new generation of glucagon-like peptide-1 drugs approved for the treatment of obesity will soon be available in Canada, presenting an opportunity for plan sponsors to meet members’ health and wellness needs. It’s important for employers to consider meeting with their insurer now to find out how the rollout of these drugs will affect their […]
Amid an increase in diabetes diagnoses among Canadians, pharmacists can play a greater role in employers’ and private payers’ chronic disease prevention and management strategies given their increasing scope of practice, said representatives for Health Solutions by Shoppers, during a webinar hosted by Benefits Canada and sponsored by Health Solutions by Shoppers in January. As […]
Many plan members with diabetes struggle with adherence to daily insulin injections and research has found the majority of patients wish they could achieve the same control over their condition with fewer injections, said Jacob Bonafiglia, medical science liaison with Novo Nordisk Canada Inc., during a panel discussion sponsored by Boehringer-Ingelheim Canada, Merck Canada Inc. […]