The federal government is appointing members to an implementation advisory group to support the launch of its national strategy for drugs for rare diseases. The members from Canada’s private payer community include: Stephen Frank, president and chief executive officer of the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association; Joanne Jung, Canadian pharmacy and clinical practice leader at […]
More than two-thirds (69 per cent) of U.S. employers say they’re focused on managing health-care plan costs, following a projected cost increase of 6.4 per cent in 2024, according to a new survey by WTW. The survey, which polled more than 450 U.S. employers, found 63 per cent said they’re focused on enhancing mental-health and […]
“We’re now in a very exciting time where we have treatments with previously unseen capacity to improve the control of type 2 diabetes and help our patients manage weight,” said Dr. Sue Pedersen, a specialist in endocrinology and metabolism from Calgary, during a webinar hosted by Benefits Canada and sponsored by Eli Lilly Canada in […]
Three-fifths (60 per cent) of benefits plan sponsors say the costs of their health benefits plan increased in the past three years, according to the 2023 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey. It found this percentage decreased from 66 per cent when the question was last asked in 2016 and was unchanged from 2015 (60 per cent). […]
Nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) of Canadian benefits plan members say they appreciate their health benefits more today than they did before the coronavirus pandemic, according to the 2023 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey. It found while this result is generally consistent across all cross tabulations, the biggest variation occurred regionally, with a high of 85 […]
Last year, a benefits plan member in British Columbia was shocked when his insurance provider rejected an orthotics claim because the prescriber was a nurse practitioner rather than a “physician.” In the story, reported by the Victoria, B.C.-based Times Colonist, the chief executive officer of Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of B.C. said it wasn’t the […]
The costs of U.S. employer-sponsored medical benefits are expected to rise seven per cent in 2024, according to a new survey by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. The survey found 79 per cent of U.S. employers’ benefits plans are self-funded (with or without stop-loss coverage), while 21 per cent are fully insured. The […]
Changes to the Public Service Health Care Plan, which took effect on July 1, include $75,000 for certain gender affirming procedures not covered by provincial or territorial health-care programs. Other new benefits include: $300 per year each for a registered dietician, occupational therapist and lactation consultant; $200 per year for batteries for hearing aids; $600 per […]
An article on how global pension funds compare in terms of transparency was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Five Canadian pension funds receive top scores for transparency: benchmark 2. How plan sponsors, insurers are considering coverage of weight-loss drugs amid rising use […]
Canadian plan sponsors and insurers are revisiting how they classify obesity drugs under their benefits plans, amid plan members’ rising demand for Ozempic as a weight-loss treatment. Ozempic, also known under the generic name semaglutide, is a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes. However, the medication has also been credited as a weight-loss treatment, […]