An Ontario group benefits advisor is calling on Canadian insurers to change a long-term disability practice that adversely affects employees at small companies. Dave Patriarche, president of Mainstay Insurance Brokerage Inc. and founder of the Canadian Group Insurance Brokers, is asking Canada’s major insurers to make a small administrative change that would ensure employees at […]
League Inc. has beefed up its offerings with the addition of six partners across its health programs, digital wallet and health concierge team. The new partners include: mindfulness session provider eMindful Inc; caregiver support provider Rethink Benefits; mental-health benefits company Inkblot Technologies Inc. and virtual health coaching company Vida Health Inc. In addition, digital therapy company MindBeacon […]
Western Forest Products and the United Steelworkers union have reached a tentative collective agreement after more than seven months of tensions over pensions and long-term disability benefits. About 3,000 of the Vancouver-based lumber company’s employees walked off the job on July 1, 2019. In November, the company dropped it’s proposal to implement pension plan alternatives to which the union […]
Since my last two editorials have targeted issues around pension plan design and retirement readiness, I’m balancing things out this month by turning my attention to benefits. Fortunately, I have strong opinions on the topic of this month’s cover story. Since I joined Benefits Canada four years ago, I’ve noticed that paramedical benefits — and […]
Employers promote competition, interactive booths and benefits information to engage employees in their wellness offerings. “Someone lasted seven minutes,” says Stephanie Enright, the Mississauga, Ont. company’s director of talent management and administration. “Our employees really like the competitiveness, and these activities help draw people to the health fair.” Over the last decade, the organization’s health […]
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 […]
Hub International Ltd. is acquiring employee benefits consulting firm Azur Consulting Services Inc. Based in Longueuil, Que., Azur provides group and health benefits solutions for its clients. As part of the transition, Azur’s president Paul Ethier will join Hub International Quebec Ltd. Read: Hub acquiring Edmonton benefits, retirement consultancy
In employee benefits plans, maximums and caps on prescription drug dispensing fees are common cost management features. These features are designed to nudge plan members to purchase prescription drugs at pharmacies with lower dispensing fees, lowering their out-of-pocket costs, as well as potentially reducing plan costs for employers. For example, where a drug plan has a $5 dispensing […]
The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association is asking the federal government to develop a strategy for access to high-cost drugs and to make flexible annuity options available for a variety of retirement savings vehicles. In its 2020 budget submission to Finance Minister Bill Morneau, the association called for the federal government to work with provincial and territorial governments and […]
The vast majority of pharmaceutical executives said they expect the incoming amendments to the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board to have a negative impact on their business plans in Canada, according to a new survey commissioned by Life Sciences Ontario. The survey, which drew on data from 46 respondents, including leaders from 36 Canadian and […]