Nearly half (49 per cent) of Canadian plan members said they’re confident their group benefits plan will cover medications for serious diseases such as cancer and diabetes, which cost between $1,000 and $10,000 per month, according to the 2020 Sanofi Canada health-care survey. When presented with the scenario of a drug that can treat or […]
The limitation of prescriptions to 30-day supplies aims to protect against drug shortages, but it’s creating challenges for Canadians who are living on fixed incomes. Beverley Zwicker, chief executive officer and registrar at the Nova Scotia College of Pharmacists The coronavirus pandemic has challenged us all to work together for the greater good. We now […]
In June 2017, the federal government amended the Canadian Human Rights Act to strengthen protections against employment discrimination for LGBTQ+ individuals, forbidding employers across all jurisdictions to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. While the protections and language used by organizations can vary, the intent of the protections is […]
Does your organization’s benefits or pension plan communications deserve recognition? Are you leading the way when it comes to supporting your employees’ mental health? Is your company’s financial wellness program award-worthy? Benefits Canada’s annual Workplace Benefits Awards is officially open for nominations. Submit your entries here. As in previous years, the 2020 awards will continue to honour the achievements of […]
On March 3, the 2020 Employers Cancer Care Summit featured sessions on cancer-related issues and opportunities tied to benefits plans and the workplace. Many perspectives required when covering cancer drugs on benefits plans While treatment options for cancer are more than they used to be, many still aren’t covered under the public health-care system, according to Tim […]
While treatment options for cancer are more than they used to be, many still aren’t covered under the public health-care system, according to Tim Clarke, president of TC Health Consulting Inc. In a session at Benefits Canada’s 2020 Employers Cancer Care Summit on Mar. 3, he said employer costs for cancer drug treatments have doubled between […]
When it comes to benefits plan management, each case is individual, said Diana Godfrey, senior vice-president of human resources and corporate at Fidelity Canada, during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2020 Employers Cancer Care Summit on Mar. 3. “If employers think they have a program or policy that covers every situation, they may be mistaken.” […]
Taking a look at private drug plans in 2020, a number of trends are converging: spending on specialty drugs is continuing its upward trajectory, advancements in a number of lifechanging therapies are in the pipeline and policy developments are coming at both the federal and provincial levels. In the face of this potential storm, plan […]
Since the point of an editorial is to create a discussion on the trends and issues affecting our industry, I was glad to see my latest — in the January/February issue — sparked a good debate. The print edition of Benefits Canada doesn’t have a Letters to the Editor section, so I’m compiling all the […]
How does a plan sponsor solve a problem like a massive drug claim? One solution embraced by the Canadian market is drug pooling, which goes back to the heart of pure insurance. Pooling risk to mitigate certain health-care costs is a long-standing practice in Canadian employee benefits. A benefits plan pays a pre-determined pool charge […]