From brain fog to fatigue, cancer patients face a range of challenges when it comes to staying at or going back to work. And with a significant number of cancer diagnoses happening to people during their prime working years, employers do have a role in supporting employees in dealing with their conditions, a speaker at Benefits Canada‘s […]
The 2018 budget has confirmed the federal government is creating an advisory council on the implementation of a national pharmacare program. Marc-André Gagnon, associate professor at Carleton University’s School of Public Policy and Administration, believes the budget’s wording around implementation, rather than consultation, marks a real commitment to moving forward on this issue. “The advisory council is really […]
Saskatchewan’s announcement that it’s reinstating its provincial sales tax exemption for life and health insurance premiums is welcome news for plan sponsors in the province. Debra Wiegers, a benefits consultant and head of the group benefits division at Saskatoon-based Wiegers Financial & Benefits, says calculations conducted by some of her employer clients show savings of between […]
A new group has emerged to oppose the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association’s new guideline around disclosing compensation paid to intermediaries in group benefits and group retirement services. The National Coalition of Benefit Advisors has taken shape over the past six weeks, according to Robert Taylor, managing director of Vancouver-based TRG Group Benefits & Pensions […]
British Columbia is introducing a new employer health tax as it moves to fully eliminate medical services plan premiums. During the province’s 2018 budget announcement on Tuesday, Finance Minister Carole James said the government will eliminate premiums by Jan. 1, 2020. The government estimates the move will save people up to $900 a year and families up to $1,800 a year. Read: Seven […]
Hub International Ltd. has acquired a British Columbia-based pension and benefits consulting firm. On Friday, Chicago-based Hub International announced it had acquired the shares of Pointbreak Consulting Group Ltd. Headquartered in Burnaby, B.C., Pointbreak provides benefits and pension consulting services. Kevin Jeffrey, principal and chief executive officer of Pointbreak, will join Hub International. The company […]
Sun Life Financial Canada is adding optional medical marijuana coverage to its group benefits plans from March 1, 2018. Coverage of the drug will be added as an extended health-care benefit at the request of plan sponsors. It will include a yearly maximum, ranging between $1,500 and $6,000, a prior approval process and coverage criteria. The insurance company said it […]
A group of 28 patient advocacy organizations are urging Health Canada to stop its review of drug pricing. The federal government announced changes to drug price regulation in December 2017, setting out proposals through the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board that it estimates will deliver $12.6 billion in net benefits over 10 years through lower drug costs. Read: Feds […]
The Great-West Life Assurance Co. is contributing $300,000 to a Toronto-based program that aims to help technology startups working to improve economic productivity and human well-being. The insurance company will contribute the funds over three years to seed-stage program Creative Destruction Lab, part of the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. The program, which runs over nine months, provides entrepreneurs with […]
Counterfeit pharmaceutical drugs are a rising risk to Canadians as they’re appearing in brick-and-mortar pharmacies, rather than just on the street or online, according to a new report by public policy think tank the Fraser Institute. It’s also a growing issue internationally and one that’s attracting the attention of policy-makers. But what does it mean for group benefits plans? Counterfeit […]