Manulife Financial Corp. is making its Vitality health and wellness platform available to Canadian group benefits plan members next year. The platform, which connects with wearable devices such as smartwatches and fitness bracelets, is designed to help users make healthy choices and then rewards them with discounts and gift cards for doing so. “We believe this program will help […]
Some 731,000 Canadians borrow money to pay for drugs prescribed by their doctors, according to new research by the University of British Columbia. The research, which used data from a 2016 Statistics Canada survey, found 2.5 per cent of respondents said they have to borrow money for prescriptions. Canadians between the ages of 19 and 34 were 3.5-times […]
Willis Towers Watson has launched an online shopping option for employee benefits. Its marketplace platform, which is both mobile and web-based, allows employees to shop for benefits online and provides coverage decision support. “For employers, Benefits Marketplace moves us toward a truly personalized approach,” said Dawn Noordam, director of health and benefits consulting and leader of Benefits […]
Equitable Life of Canada is introducing a fully online option for employees enrolling in group benefits plans. “Plan members can easily enter all their enrolment information, including dependant details, banking information for direct deposit of claim payments and details for coordination of benefits,” said Norma Crouse, assistant vice-president of claims and administration at Equitable Life, in a […]
About a quarter (28 per cent) of American employers made changes to their employee health-care benefits in 2018, according to a new survey by the Transamerica Center for Health Studies. The survey, which polled 1,350 U.S. business decision-makers, found the most common changes were to health insurance (36 per cent) or the addition of other health-care benefits […]
Cossette Inc. introduced webinars and information sessions around mental health and wellness in October. The offerings, which were provided through the communications company’s employee assistance program, are part of its focus on preventative health, according to Yee Makowich, vice-president of talent. With six offices across Canada, each office features its own wellness initiatives, in addition to a company-wide […]
Green Shield Canada is launching a rating tool that allows plan members to search ratings when looking for a pharmacy. Through the insurer’s app, members can access the rating tool to measure a pharmacy’s health outcomes. The five-star system bases its ratings on the promotion of good adherence to drug therapy, care for chronic disease and the safe dispensing […]
Unionized employees at the Globe and Mail could be on strike by midnight Wednesday over disputes with the newspaper around pensions, benefits and a gender wage gap. The 320 employees, who are members of Unifor Local 87-M, include reporters, editors, circulation, operations and advertising sales staff. They gave the bargaining committee a 94 per cent strike […]
Accompass Inc. has appointed David McDonald as a consultant in its benefits and health practice. With five years in the industry, McDonald was previously a senior analyst in health and group benefits at Willis Towers Watson. He was also an actuarial intern at SCOR and the New York Life Insurance Co. “David is a perfect fit for our team and […]
The Canadian Dental Association read with interest your Oct. 12, 2018, article titled, A look at the drivers for curbing rising dental costs. The CDA and every provincial dental association in Canada are concerned with the cost of dentistry. Each year, provincial dental associations develop fee guides that balance the cost of care with dental fees, knowing […]