Half (51 per cent) of Canadian benefits plan members say they understand their plan extremely or very well, down from 65 per cent in 2018, according to the 2023 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey. It found plan members’ top sources for information about their benefits plan were websites (69 per cent), followed at some distance by […]
More than half (54 per cent) of Canadian benefits plan members currently live with at least one diagnosed chronic health condition, according to the 2023 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey. It found the top current diagnoses were a mental-health condition such as depression or anxiety (18 per cent), high cholesterol (12 per cent), arthritis (12 per […]
An article on how global pension funds compare in terms of transparency was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Five Canadian pension funds receive top scores for transparency: benchmark 2. How plan sponsors, insurers are considering coverage of weight-loss drugs amid rising use […]
Canadian plan sponsors and insurers are revisiting how they classify obesity drugs under their benefits plans, amid plan members’ rising demand for Ozempic as a weight-loss treatment. Ozempic, also known under the generic name semaglutide, is a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes. However, the medication has also been credited as a weight-loss treatment, […]
U.S. employers are increasing their family and caregiving benefits in 2023, according to a new survey by the Society for Human Resource Management. The survey, which polled more than 4,000 employers, found a quarter (25 per cent) said they cover infertility treatments and in vitro fertilization, while five per cent cover egg freezing for non-medical […]
The annual spend per private drug plan member increased by 6.3 per cent in 2022, according to Express Scripts Canada’s annual drug trends report. Across both traditional and specialty drugs, the increase was primarily driven by a 5.4 per cent rise in plan members making a claim, which reversed the trend seen in 2020 and […]
As the coronavirus pandemic enters its fourth year, it’s perhaps unsurprising that the health crisis has taken its toll on employee mental health. Scotiabank saw a notable rise in claims for mental-health drugs in 2022, says Ayman Alvi, the bank’s vice-president of global pension and benefits, noting the increased use of these medications aligns with […]
We live in an information ecosystem — especially when talking about obesity — that’s full of misinformation, fads and gimmicks, said Ian Patton, director of advocacy and public engagement at Obesity Canada, during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2023 Chronic Disease at Work conference in early February. In the session, supported by Desjardins Insurance, he noted […]
While a transplant can be life-altering for a patient as a permanent cure for their underlying condition, it can also profoundly affect their immune system, according to Dr. Matthew Cheng, assistant professor in transplant infectious diseases and medical mycology at McGill University, speaking during a panel discussion at Benefits Canada’s Face to Face Drug Plan […]
Total drug costs grew to $2 billion in 2021, rising steadily from $1.4 billion in 2017, according to Green Shield Canada’s annual drug trends report. The report, which is based on claims reported by Green Shield Canada, found the number of claimants also increased from 1.9 million to 2.1 million over the same period. While […]