Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice has certified a class-action lawsuit against Uber Technologies Inc., which advances a fight to get some of the platform’s Canadian couriers and drivers recognized as employees. The class action was certified by Judge Justin Paul Perell in a decision released late Thursday afternoon and stems from a court filing made […]
While one side highlights how plan sponsors can contribute to biosimilar sustainability, the other touts the benefits to patients and the health-care system. Durhane Wong-Rieger, president and chief executive officer, Institute for Optimizing Health Outcomes The Institute for Optimizing Health Outcomes recently published a scorecard rating the biosimilar policy frameworks of European countries across seven […]
With Canada’s public and private drug market an ever-evolving landscape, what value can be gained from collaboration and innovative solutions to ensure patient access to new medicines and vaccines in the future? During Innovative Medicines Canada’s virtual policy summit in June, Declan Hamill, vice-president of policy, regulatory and legal affairs, said the organization appreciates the […]
In the last 17 months, workplaces are prioritizing their employees’ physical health above all else. But what happens when employees’ mental health falls to the wayside? “Depression is a constellation of symptoms — and one must show five out of nine symptoms with some of the symptoms in question as slight as a change in […]
For the third time in a row, the federal government is delaying long-awaited changes to Canada’s drug pricing regime for a further six months. In an effort to give pharmaceutical companies more time to prepare for the impending changes, Health Minister Patty Hajdu announced Tuesday the regulations changing how the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board […]
As any new parent can attest to, those early hours, days and weeks with a new baby are beyond challenging. In the fourth trimester (a common term for a baby’s first three months in the outside world), this brand new little human you’re tasked with keeping alive will give you vague clues about what they […]
Benefits Canada is extending the deadline for entering the 2021 Workplace Benefits Awards to Wednesday, July 7. The annual awards, which will be held virtually on Oct. 14, recognize employers and plan sponsors that are leading the way with their approaches to supporting the mental, physical and financial well-being of their employees. Enter the 2021 Workplace Benefits Awards today. […]
Canadians’ health priorities are shifting as the coronavirus pandemic drags on, as claims for medications to treat mental-health conditions continued to rise in 2020, along with claims for specialty drugs designed to treat rarer, yet increasingly chronic diseases, according to Telus Health’s annual drug trends report. There were noticeable shifts in the utilization of mental-health […]
The growing use of specialty medications among plan members continued to drive the increase in plan sponsors’ drug plan costs last year, well eclipsing the increase in traditional drug spending, according to Telus Health. Canadian plan sponsors’ drug spending on insured plan members between the ages of 25 and 64 increased 3.6 per cent in […]
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 […]