While the overall private drug plan spend per member increased by 4.3 per cent in 2021, fewer plan members submitted claims and the per-claimant cost grew, according to Express Scripts Canada’s latest prescription drug trends report. Specifically, the percentage of plan members that made a claim decreased by 0.3 per cent last year while spend […]
In Canada, the year-over-year cost increase for claims under a medical plan on a per-person basis is projected to reach 8.6 per cent this year, up from eight per cent in 2021, according to a new report by Mercer Canada. The report, which analyzed responses from 210 insurers across 59 countries, found the year-over-year cost […]
“Diabetes is a disease that you do not see from the outside,” said Kayla O’Connell, who lives with type 1 diabetes and is a sales support associate at Medtronic, during a session at Benefits Canada‘s 2022 Chronic Disease at Work event in February. About 10 per cent of Canadians with diabetes have type 1, while […]
Type 2 diabetes is a chronic, progressive disease characterized by the body’s resistance to the effect of insulin and, over time, the gradual loss of the pancreas’ ability to produce insulin, according to Dr. Donna Mojdami, a clinical research physician in diabetes at Eli Lilly Canada, speaking during a session at Benefits Canada‘s 2022 Chronic […]
While 86 per cent of U.S. employers said mental health, stress and burnout are top priorities, only 25 per cent have already articulated and adopted a well-being strategy, according to a new survey by WTW. The survey, which polled 322 employers, found while 42 per cent redesigned their employee assistance program in 2021, 39 per […]
The World Health Organization has designated diabetes as the only non-viral epidemic and diabetes drugs continue to be ranked as the second highest cost category for private drug plans, said Lisa Maks, clinical nurse specialist at Juravinski Hospital and St. Peter’s Hospital sites, during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2021 Mental Health Summit. Eight per cent […]
Innovative technology to monitor glucose levels for patients with diabetes offers improved health outcomes, reduced absenteeism and improved productivity, said Rick Siemens, certified diabetes educator pharmacist, during a webinar in June hosted by Benefits Canada and sponsored by Dexcom. The roles of pharmacists in Canada are evolving. Siemens said he spends most of his time […]
While the rates of drug and disability claims are returning to their pre-pandemic levels, employers are still contending with the impact of the coronavirus crisis on their benefits plans. Following the declaration of the pandemic in March 2020, there was a subsequent surge in drug claims attributed to medication stockpiling, said Frédéric Leblanc, strategic advisor […]
Approximately 10 per cent of Canadians live with diabetes and one in 300 children live with Type 1 diabetes, according to Dr. Angelo Simone, a paediatric endocrinologist at Trillium Health Partners, during a webinar hosted by Benefits Canada and sponsored by Abbott in April. As a parent caring for two children living with Type 1 […]
When People Corp. started looking into reducing its claims numbers related to chronic disease, it decided to tackle what Judith Plotkin, vice-president of health and wellness solutions, called “the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse:” diabetes, obesity, heart disease and high blood pressure. The four conditions are comorbidities not only with each other but other afflictions […]