Chronic disease rates are rising and cases are becoming more complex, with a higher share of plan members experiencing multiple co-morbidities. This growing trend necessitates an approach to chronic disease management that promotes self-management and healthy lifestyle choices, as well as helps plan members better navigate the health-care landscape, said Jeffery Chan, assistant vice-president of […]
While the conversation around mental-health benefits is typically focused on coverage levels, it’s important for employers to unpack the entire mental-health bucket and consider the impacts of other factors like psychological safety and diversity, equity and inclusion. Paula Allen, global leader and vice-president of research and client insights at Telus Health, says there’s a great […]
Even though humans spend a third of their lives asleep, it’s often taken for granted, but people are waking up to how sleep — or lack of sleep — is affecting their health and well-being. “All of medicine has been focused on how we do when we’re awake, but now we’re trying to pick up […]
Over the past 20 years, the amount Canadians spend on their personal fitness, health and wellness has more than doubled, yet they’ve experienced worse health outcomes during that time. Specifically, roughly half of Canadians have at least one chronic disease, the prevalence of diabetes has almost doubled and mental-health challenges represent an increasing share of […]
Between 2019 and 2023, chronic disease drug claims increased much faster among younger plan members compared to older generations, according to a new report by Sun Life. The report, which analyzed drug claims data of more than 3 million plan members over a five-year period, found across all age groups, nearly half (45.1 per cent) of […]
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 […]
Canadian health benefits plan members are increasingly feeling financially strained, according to the 2024 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey — a finding that experts say should be a call to action to employers to include more financial wellness supports in benefits plans. Personal finances has remained plan members’ top stressor for the past two years, with […]
Three-fifths (60 per cent) of working women believe health issues around menstruation, menopause and reproductive health can affect their career advancement abilities, according to a new report by Sun Life Financial Inc. It found four in 10 working women said they’ve made career-limiting decisions for health-related concerns or to care for their family and 10 […]
Sales of U.S. workplace supplemental health products totalled nearly US$1.3 billion in new annualized premiums in the first quarter of 2024 ― a three per cent increase year over year, according to a new report by LIMRA. It found major product lines of accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity insurance combined grew four per cent from […]
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 […]