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 […]
The percentage of claimants filing claims for obesity drugs increased by 43 per cent in 2023, according to a new report by GreenShield. The report, which analyzed the insurer’s 2023 claims data, found diabetes medications saw a 13 per cent increase in cost, accounting for nine per cent of total drug costs in 2023. There […]
An article on how a national drug pooling program would impact employer-sponsored benefits plans was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com this past week. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investment stories of the last week: 1. How would a national drug pooling program impact employer-sponsored benefits plans? 2. Leadership changes at the AIMCo […]
In light of the federal government developing a national pharmacare program, it’s important it considers the implementation of a national drug pooling program for private payers, says one expert. “If the government is going to invest in a universal drug program, it needs to have two main objectives,” said Edward Sabat, partner at The Consulting […]
Cancer treatments represented 33 per cent of medicines in all phases of clinical trials in 2023, followed by treatments for infectious diseases (13 per cent) and central nervous system diseases (12 per cent), according to a new report by the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board. It found more than 12,000 new medicines were undergoing clinical […]
The 2024 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey highlighted the perfect storm plan sponsors are facing: trying to strike the right balance between competitive benefits and plan sustainability. It’s something that resonates with the benefits leads of three major Canadian employers, who said during Benefits Canada’s report launch event that benefits utilization and meeting the needs of a […]
Ontario’s Ministry of Health is consulting on the role of preferred pharmacy networks in the province’s employer-sponsored drug insurance sector to determine how these agreements impact plan members’ costs, choice, accessibility and access to medicine and quality of care. In its draft consultation paper, the ministry said a common concern among consumers is when PPNs are closed and […]
The World Health Organization defines a rare disease as having a prevalence of 65 or less per 100,000 individuals. It recognizes some 5,500 rare diseases, the majority being of genetic origin and often life-threatening. Medical research has yielded significant drug development for the treatment of rare diseases, increasing life expectancy and improving quality of life. However, […]
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, […]
An article outlining the implications of a single-payer universal pharmacare system was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com this week. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investmnet stories of the past week: 1. Sounding Board: What plan sponsors should know about pharmacare 2. Meet the 2024 Workplace Benefits Awards judges 3. Mental-health claims by Canadians up […]