When an employee with diabetes is working in a safety-sensitive role experiences severely low blood sugar, what are the ramifications for employers? This question was addressed at Benefits Canada’s 2019 Chronic Disease at Work conference in Toronto in June. “For you, as an employer, what if this was your employee on their way to meet […]
Five major pharmaceutical companies have filed a constitutional challenge to the federal government’s incoming changes to the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board. The complaint was filed in Quebec Superior Court by the Canadian subsidiaries of Merck & Co., Janssen Inc., Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim Ltd. and Servier Inc. In statements provided to Benefits Canada, the companies […]
While North American employers agree it’s important to provide health benefits to employees, many say their workers don’t know enough about what they offer, according to a new survey by Harvard Business Review Analytic Services. The survey, sponsored by digital benefits platform League Inc., polled 238 company executives. The majority (90 per cent) said they think health benefits are a way […]
Digital benefits platform League Inc. is partnering with the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence to improve the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning in health care. Through the partnership, League will work with the Vector Institute on using AI, machine learning and other predictive techniques to create personalized health recommendations and plans tailored for […]
When employees at Accenture begin a gender transition, they have access to a comprehensive suite of benefits. In 2011, the global consulting firm became one of the first companies in Canada to cover costs related to transitioning. Zoya Zayler, inclusion and diversity lead for Canada, says the organization worked with its benefits provider to design a fulsome and customizable […]
In the wise words of George Bernard Shaw, “the single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” When it comes to employer-provided benefits and pension plans, this phrase rings as true as it does in any other part of life. I believe that communication is the single most important and […]
In 2016, KPMG Canada’s benefits program was facing a perfect storm: the company was starting to see a change in its workforce’s needs; employees didn’t value some of its offerings, found the program difficult to understand and felt the pay and total rewards package weren’t competitive; and the organization’s new management team didn’t believe the […]
Compared to the preceding years, 2019 appears to be the year of steady when it comes to progress on hot topics that resonated in the industry in 2017 and 2018. While no single topic has disappeared from the slate, neither have any new ones risen to become topics of urgency among consultants. “Last year, we […]
When an employee has a health issue requiring expensive treatment, the associated high-cost claims can be significant for their benefits plan sponsor. But it’s impossible to predict when a large claim will arise, so stop-loss insurance, which takes the claim off the employer’s shoulders, is one option to help protect against these unexpected costs. As […]
Private plan sponsors can expect to see lower drug prices resulting from recent changes to the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board, but there may also be unintended consequences. The reforms, announced Aug. 9 and expected to come into effect July 1, 2020, will update the reference countries Canada uses to compare its prices internationally. They’ll […]