SurveyMonkey Inc. is introducing health benefits, improved time-off policies and transportation subsidies for its contract employees and those who work with the company through third-party commercial services. Working with California-based i2i Benefits and Insurance Services, the company developed a benefits framework for its on-site contract workers and vendor partners, including its janitorial and food service providers. The company […]
The House of Commons’ standing committee on health is recommending the creation of a universal, single public payer prescription drug coverage program for all Canadians. “The committee believes that the best approach for the creation of such a program is through the expansion of the Canada Health Act to include prescription drugs dispensed outside of hospitals as an insured service,” […]
One of the biggest changes in the benefits industry over the next five years will be the movement towards virtual care as a standalone category, said Tim Clarke at Benefits Canada‘s Benefits & Pension Summit in Toronto on Monday. “Whether you’re talking about telemedicine, whether you’re talking about virtual [cognitive behavioural therapy], you think about […]
Canadian cannabis producer MedReleaf Corp. has introduced a product identification number for 57 of its medical marijuana products in an effort to facilitate coverage in employer-sponsored benefits plans. Product identification numbers are similar to traditional drug identification numbers, according to a press release. They’re designed to make it easier for employers and other private payers […]
Since Ontario’s youth pharmacare program took effect on Jan. 1, the number of drug claims for those under the age of 25 has been cut in half compared to the first three months of 2017, translating into average savings of four per cent for private drug plans, according to Telus Health. Its annual research, which […]
While Wednesday’s provincial budget in Ontario offered details on the inclusion of seniors in the government’s pharmacare program, Ontarians over age 65 aren’t the only cohort set to benefit from expanded drug coverage. Through the introduction of the Ontario drug and dental program, all Ontarians will be eligible for some coverage in those areas if they aren’t already […]
The vast amount of variation in a disease such as lung cancer often signals different treatment options for patients. At the Employers Cancer Care Summit in February, Dr. Rosalyn Juergens, chair of the lung cancer disease site team and head of the department of clinical trials at the Juravinski Cancer Centre, spoke about some of […]
After reviewing, summarizing and translating more than 40 academic studies on cancer in the workplace, Chris Bonnett, principal consultant at H3 Consulting, found no lack of programs to address the issue. “One of the key themes is that nobody needs another cancer program,” he told participants at Benefits Canada’s Employers Cancer Care Summit on Feb. 27 […]
Many employers want to do everything they can to support employees dealing with cancer. But what are some of the most effective ways of offering support when it comes to employees returning to work? “We find that a lot of people that are diagnosed with cancer, they are very motivated to return to work,” said […]
Among the sessions at the 2018 Employers Cancer Care Summit was a primer on the role and services of a drug access navigator in allowing patients to focus on their health while undergoing treatment. Speaking to the crowd at Toronto’s One King West hotel of Feb. 27, Alana Bourke, a drug access navigator and registered […]