Virtual health and telemedicine provider Dialogue has closed on a Series A funding round for $12 million. Dialogue has distribution agreements with Great-West Life Assurance Co. and SSQ Life Insurance Co. Inc. and is available through almost 150 plan sponsors, including Osler Harkin & Harcourt LLP, Ubisoft Entertainment Inc. and Wealthsimple Inc. Read: SSQ adds video […]
Almost one million Canadians cut spending on necessities such as food and heating to afford prescription drugs in 2016, according to a report by researchers at the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, McMaster University and the University of Toronto. The report, which used data from Statistics Canada’s 2016 Canadian community health survey, also found 1.69 […]
British Columbia’s plan to eliminate or reduce prescription drug deductibles for low-income earners could also lead to lower drug costs for plan sponsors in the province. While Nick Gubbay, a principal and group benefits consultant at Eckler Ltd. in Vancouver, says the impact is likely to be most material for group plans providing benefits to […]
Advisors are making it clear they want to be a part of the conversation as the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association develops its new compensation disclosure guideline. “That is an important reason for why we took the immediate step of pushing back the implementation starting date to Jan. 1, 2019, so as to allow for sufficient […]
Manulife Financial Corp. is partnering with Vitech Systems Group Inc. as a software provider and system integrator for its Canadian group benefits business. Vitech’s insurance administration product, V3, supports group health, dental and life insurance from quote through to claim. “Vitech and V3 will support our focus on providing customers and distribution partners with a […]
As the new year gets underway, it’s a busy season for predictions about what’s ahead for 2018. When it comes to employer-sponsored drug plans, costs have been a rising concern in recent years. According to projections released by Aon Hewitt in December, costs for extended health-care plans will likely rise by six per cent in […]
It’s an exciting time for group benefits in Canada. That’s not a phrase you hear every day, but it’s one that’s coming up more and more often. Terms like “digital health” and “disruption” are new words to the Canadian benefits vernacular. All of a sudden, it seems like a new digital health startup launches every […]
Canadians continue to pay more than most other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries for generic drugs, despite provincial and territorial policies that have greatly reduced prices in recent years, according to a new report by the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board. The Generics360 report found Canadians spent $165 per capita on generic drugs […]
While some workplaces may find it difficult to accommodate flexibility for employees with caregiving responsibilities, employers should be creative, according to one human resources consultant. “To me, I feel like it’s not that difficult to do,” Helen Patterson, a consultant at Life Works Well, told an audience at the Human Resources Professionals Association conference in Toronto on Friday. “Flexibility is not […]
The Empire Life Insurance Co. is introducing a new drug-only pooling product for plan sponsors. With advancement in medicine and higher-cost drugs on the market, it’s important to provide options to help small- and medium-sized businesses manage their high-cost claim exposure, the company noted in a press release. With that in mind, it’s offering the new $7,500 drug-only option […]