Canada could save an estimated $280 million a year in drug costs if biosimilar uptake here reached the levels seen in Norway, a speaker told attendees at a recent event in Calgary. “One problem with biosimilars is their uptake,” Andrea Staruch, a pharmacy services consultant at Green Shield Canada, said during a presentation at Benefits […]
Markers Financial Inc. is launching a group insurance product that covers medical cannabis on Aug. 15. The company, which is a division of Toronto-based Evergreen Pacific Insurance Corp., will initially roll out an insurance product for individuals, tailored to each person’s requirements without any caps or restrictions based on pre-existing conditions. Read: Reformulary Group to develop cannabis […]
The Great-West Life Assurance Co. has partnered with Morneau Shepell Ltd. to offer web-based cognitive behavioural therapy to plan members receiving disability benefits for a mental-health condition. The program became available on June 4 to employers in Calgary, Regina, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Halifax, St. John’s and those cities’ surrounding areas, with plans expand the offering to the rest […]
The Ontario Human Rights Tribunal’s recent ruling that it’s unconstitutional for plan sponsors to discontinue benefits for employees after the age of 65 represents a fundamental shift for employers, according to one labour and employment lawyer. “Previously, the Human Rights Tribunal would not enforce any discrimination issues if employers were to cut off benefits at […]
Canadian employees and plan sponsors are on the same page when it comes to the quality of their health benefits plans, according to the 2018 Sanofi Canada health-care survey. This year’s survey found that 58 per cent of plan members describe their benefits plan as excellent or very good, up from 48 per cent a […]
There’s an almost even split among plan sponsors on whether to cover medical marijuana in their health benefits plans, according to the 2018 Sanofi Canada health-care survey. Those for and against coverage were split evenly, with 34 per cent each, while the remaining 32 per cent said they didn’t know or were unsure. Among plan sponsors that […]
Just 41 per cent of plan sponsors said they offer a wellness program to their employees in 2018, down from 51 per cent in 2017 and a high of 64 per cent in 2013, according to the 2018 Sanofi Canada health-care survey. The downward slip is concerning since employees are more likely to have a positive […]
While chronic disease is a persistent problem in the workplace, employers are missing key data illustrating how employees’ conditions are affecting their work, according to the 2018 Sanofi Canada health-care survey. However, the data around chronic disease is complex, noted one of the survey’s advisory board members. During the launch event for the survey in Toronto on Wednesday, […]
The majority (85 per cent) of Canadian plan members used their drug plan at least once in the past year, according to the 2018 Sanofi Canada health-care survey. Among plan members who submitted drug claims, the average number per year was 9.4. That figure rose to 14.5 claims for both employees in poor health and those […]
The majority (81 per cent) of plan sponsors said they have a philosophy or long-term view that defines why they offer benefits plans and that guides their decision-making, according to the 2018 Sanofi Canada health-care survey. Employers with a wellness culture are more likely (88 per cent) to have a philosophy around their benefits plan, compared […]