By taking the use of data to the next level, employers and insurers can improve their ability to promote better health through benefits plans. That was a key message from Tarick Fadel, director of analytics, research and pricing at Alberta Blue Cross, during a presentation at Benefits Canada‘s Calgary Benefits Summit on May 29. “We […]
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 […]
With the workplace changing rapidly, the health-care landscape will be evolving along with it, a speaker told the audience at Benefits Canada‘s Calgary Benefits Summit last month. “We believe there is an unmet need in Canadian health care today that we need innovation to address — not just to get people well but to keep […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
When Ontario abolished mandatory retirement in 2006, employers could still terminate benefits for workers who turned 65. But in May, the province’s Human Rights Tribunal determined the provision in the Human Rights Code that allowed employers to do so was unconstitutional. Previously, employers often offered benefits to older workers to encourage them to stay and […]
Despite not yet announcing its election platform, Ontario’s Progressive Conservative Party may have the greatest potential for affecting pensions and benefits in Ontario. “The Conservatives’ broad focus on balancing the budget, which may result in their rationalizing OHIP and delisting some services, represents the real impact potential in this election,” says Anneliesje Warner, a health […]
More than a third (39 per cent) of U.S. employers see promise in using behavioural economics to help employees adhere to their medical treatment plans, according to a new survey by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. Organizations are employing the theory of behavioural economics through a variety of methods that nudge their workforce […]
Some organizations are unique. Their employees are genuinely excited to be at work and an undercurrent of energy and vitality permeates the air. They’ve transformed the workplace into a compelling experience and built a thriving workforce. This kind of environment doesn’t come easily; it must be deliberately designed, intentionally built and carefully managed. In an age of […]