Keyword: health benefits

2179 results found

U.S. employers are expecting health benefits costs to increase by an average of 8.5 per cent to more than $15,000 per employee in 2024, according to a new survey by Aon. The survey, which polled 800 U.S. employers, found the projected increase is nearly double the budgeted amount that employers experienced from 2022 to 2023 (4.5 per cent). […]

  • By: Staff
  • August 31, 2023 August 30, 2023
  • 09:00

Improved benefits and pensions are needed for wildland firefighters amid the unprecedented amount of wildfires in Canada this year, says Bert Blundon, president of the National Union of Public and General Employees. “Firefighters have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, mental-health concerns and cancer. That last one is the main source of contention for wildland […]

Last year, a benefits plan member in British Columbia was shocked when his insurance provider rejected an orthotics claim because the prescriber was a nurse practitioner rather than a “physician.” In the story, reported by the Victoria, B.C.-based Times Colonist, the chief executive officer of Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of B.C. said it wasn’t the […]

More than three-quarters (77 per cent) of large U.S. employers are reporting an increase in mental-health needs among their workforces, according to a new survey by Business Group on Health. The survey, which polled around 150 large employers employing 19 million people, found this is a 33 per cent increase compared to last year, when […]

  • By: Staff
  • August 22, 2023 August 22, 2023
  • 15:00

The costs of U.S. employer-sponsored medical benefits are expected to rise seven per cent in 2024, according to a new survey by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. The survey found 79 per cent of U.S. employers’ benefits plans are self-funded (with or without stop-loss coverage), while 21 per cent are fully insured. The […]

  • By: Staff
  • August 21, 2023 August 21, 2023
  • 15:00

Amazon is expanding its family-building support program outside of Canada and the U.S., making it available to full-time, part-time and hourly employees in 50 additional countries across Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. In partnership with Maven Clinic, a virtual clinic for women’s and family health, the organization will give employees and […]

  • By: Staff
  • August 16, 2023 August 14, 2023
  • 15:00
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IKEA Canada is supporting employees amid the rising cost of living by offering emergency relief grants through its Ingka Social Fund and extra discounts on select products. “The establishment of the global social fund was triggered by the energy crisis and inflationary pressures that many are experiencing in markets around the world,” says Natasha Bagley, […]

The union representing employees at Community Support Centre-Northwest in Dryden, Ont. has ratified a three-year agreement that includes retirement savings and benefits gains. The agreement includes a new group registered retirement savings plan with a 100 per cent employer match when employees contribute up to four per cent to the plan. It also includes four […]

  • By: Staff
  • August 15, 2023 August 15, 2023
  • 09:00

I’m sitting down to write this on the hottest day so far in 2023. Environment Canada has issued a multi-day heat warning in my region — today, it’s 31 degrees Celsius but feels closer to 40, the humidity is 70 per cent, pressure is 101.3 kilopascal and the UV index is seven. This is the […]

While ChatGPT is helping benefits communications become more efficient, detailed and reliable, the risks may outweigh the rewards when it comes to full automation, says Tom Milne, a principal at Normandin Beaudry. The possibilities for generative artificial intelligence in the benefits space are infinite, he says, noting the algorithms are helping expedite the research and […]