April 1 ushered in a new era with respect to the medical use of marijuana in Canada. There are emerging implications for plan sponsors that should be considered proactively. Health Canada has repealed the Marijuana Medical Access Program in favour of the Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations whereby patients using medical marijuana will have to access their supply from one of 12 licensed growers (as of April 1, 2014) in Canada and can go through their own doctor for approval as opposed to having to apply to Health Canada.
Extended health and dental coverage is very important to Canadians' decisions when considering a new position or job, according to a survey.
SSQ Financial Group has introduced compassion insurance.
The International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans is once again leading the celebrations for the annual National Employee Benefits Day.
The cost of providing employer-sponsored healthcare benefits in the United States is expected to increase 4.4% this year, a slight uptick from 2013, according to a survey.
If you’re not educating your employees about the cost of their group benefits plan, you’re missing an important opportunity. That’s because most plan members simply don’t appreciate the true cost of their benefits coverage—to the detriment of themselves and the organization.
Some American employers won't be required to provide health insurance to their workers next year.
Enrolling in benefits and pension plans isn’t top of mind for new employees. During the first few weeks on the job, they are often overwhelmed with learning about the company’s culture, meeting new people and determining measures for success. Having to make important health and financial decisions that affect not only their present situation but also their retirement may cause them even more stress.
As employers look for new and innovative ways to engage employees in wellness and motivate employees to commit to healthy behaviours, while reducing their healthcare costs, gamification is becoming more and more prevalent—both as an effective behavioural bridge from intention to action, and as an effective motivator in helping the new behaviour stick.
The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that a former employee of Vivendi Canada can file a class-action lawsuit against the company for altering the retiree health benefits plan.