iA Financial Group is introducing an online enrolment tool for its group benefits members. The tool, which can be accessed through a smartphone, tablet or computer, allows plan members to choose coverage, designate beneficiaries and manage the information of dependants. “The online enrolment tool is an intelligent, high-performance solution that provides a simplified overall experience to employers […]
Due to the elimination of the unfunded liability of Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board’s insurance fund, premium rates for employers will be reduced by almost 30 per cent. Beginning Jan. 1, 2019, the reduction will help employers save money, increase investment and create more jobs, resulting in a $1.45 billion injection into the Ontario economy, according […]
A coalition comprised of dozens of federal and provincial health-care organizations, including providers, patient groups, academics, health practitioner unions and professional associations, have teamed up to create a set of principles for national pharmacare in Canada. First, the coaltion believes pharmacare should work as a clear extension of Canada’s current universal health-care system, bringing pharmaceutical services in […]
Among Canadians who have missed work due to disability, 30 per cent cited mental illness, according to a new survey by RBC Insurance. The survey, which questioned about 1,500 Canadians, found that while 65 per cent of respondents, respectively, view physical accidents and multiple sclerosis as disabilities, about half (47 per cent) cited depression as a disability, […]
Three-quarters of Canadian employees have taken time off work for a medical appointment, according to a survey by virtual health-care company Wello. The survey, which polled 1,500 Canadian workers, found 39 per cent of respondents have taken a total of two to six or more days off for medical appointments, while 46 per cent have taken the same amount […]
Rural and suburban postal workers across the country celebrated Thursday after an arbitrator ordered Canada Post to pay them more — much more — as part of a long-awaited pay equity decision. For a majority of the Crown agency’s mostly-female rural and suburban carriers, known as RSMCs, the ruling translates into a 25-per-cent pay hike, plus some increased […]
SSQ Life Insurance Co. Inc. will provide plan sponsors with the option of covering medical marijuana beginning Jan. 1, 2019, The move is in relation to recent clinical advances showing the efficacy of cannabis in treating certain medical problems, according to the Quebec-based insurer. To help keep group insurance costs in check, SSQ will require prior […]
Unifor members who work at the Toronto Marriott Bloor Yorkville have voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new collective agreement, which includes expanded benefits for dependants of part-time employees. The benefits will now include dental coverage, eye exams, prescription drugs and life insurance. The new agreement also includes an increase in pension contributions by 27 per cent over […]
Among American employees enrolled in an employer-sponsored health plan, just seven per cent pay no deductible, according to a new survey by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. Among those with single coverage, nearly half (46 per cent) of respondents pay a deductible between $1,000 and $2,999, followed by $500 to $999 (19 per cent), under […]
Public drug plan spending continued its upward trend in 2016-17, though at a much slower rate rather in 2015-16, according to a new report by the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board. The analysis, which focuses on the public drug plans participating in the National Prescription Drug Utilization Information System initiative, found spending increased just 1.9 per cent in 2016-17, […]