Canadian insurers expect health costs to rise by 11.55 per cent this year, according to a new report by Accompass Inc. The annual survey determines the anticipated year-over-year cost increase or decrease — or health trend factor — by asking insurers to examine their businesses and take various factors into account, including legislation and reforms, economic events […]
Digital employee health benefits platform League Inc. is now offering its employees and their spouses or common-law partners $5,000 per lifetime toward in vitro fertilization or other similar fertility treatment. According to Kim Tabac, League’s chief people officer, the startup began offering the IVF benefit in the last nine months, in response to interest from […]
As benefits fraud schemes become more sophisticated, group insurers must continuously evolve their strategies to keep up to date, according to Shelley Frohlich, director of fraud risk management at Sun Life Financial Inc. A group insurer’s role is to help protect the integrity of the benefits plan by reducing the financial and reputational risks to an […]
Daniel Peak, national senior manager of private payer strategy at Sanofi, is retiring on April 26. As senior manager, Peak led the development and implementation of Sanofi’s strategy to facilitate a sustainable private payer business environment. He was also the project leader of the Sanofi Canada health-care survey. Read: Sanofi survey finds 85% of plan members used drug […]
Digital health startups Maple and Dot Health are partnering to deliver a platform with more accessible virtual health care for Canadian benefits plan members and individuals. Maple, which connects users virtually with health-care professionals, works with employers to build custom telemedicine benefits packages that suit their plan members’ needs. Dot Health allows users to gain access to […]
As newer generations enter the workforce, innovative benefits plan design is important to connect plan members with the resources that fulfill the needs of an increasingly diverse workforce. During a panel at Benefits Canada’s 2019 Benefits and Pension Summit in Toronto on April 17, Wade Domries, vice-president of total rewards at Telus Corp., discussed how the company […]
Health Solutions by Shoppers Drug Mart is launching a health coaching program for plan sponsors to include in their benefits plans. Aimed at employees with chronic diseases, particularly diabetes, heart disease and obesity, the coaching program will connect plan members with nurses, pharmacists or dietitians through phone or video chat. These specialists will help create […]
Health Canada has proposed amendments to the Food and Drug Regulations that would make it easier for drug companies to get authorization to produce generic versions of brand name drugs. The amendments would allow Health Canada to more quickly to approve generic drug applications that have the same active ingredients as their brand name equivalent […]
Rise People Inc. is partnering with Sun Life Assurance Co. of Canada to launch a human resources platform that aims to simplify administration and provides payroll and benefits solutions for plan sponsors. Built in collaboration with Sun Life, the platform integrates access to the insurer’s plan member site using a single sign-in feature so users don’t have to log in […]
Following the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario’s decision in a landmark age discrimination case last year, former high school teacher Steve Talos has reached a settlement with the Grand Erie District School Board. Though Ontario abolished mandatory retirement in 2006, it still allowed employers to terminate benefits plans for workers age 65 and over. In […]