The British Columbia Teachers’ Pension Plan is increasing coverage for several optional retirement health benefits, effective Jan. 1, 2025. Vision care coverage will increase by $100 to $400 every two calendar years, while hearing care is set to rise from $1,400 every four calendar years to $2,000, according to a press release, which noted plan members […]
Nearly half (47 per cent) of Canadians say they’ve been injured in a way that impedes or has impeded them from being fully functional at work, at home or at play, according to a new survey by Ipsos on behalf of the Canadian Athletic Therapists Association. The survey, which polled 1,000 Canadian workers aged 18 and […]
The use of obesity medications among Canadian employer-sponsored benefits plan members has grown substantially, with claims increasing 42 per cent in 2023 and roughly 92 per cent since 2020, according to a new report by Manulife Financial Corp. The report, based on aggregate claims data, found more women are using obesity drugs than men (79 […]
CAA Club Group’s award-winning health and wellness strategy is showing employees, as well as potential candidates, that the organization is focused on supporting the holistic well-being needs of its workforce. Last year, the organization’s extensive employee well-being program led it to win Benefits Canada’s 2023 Workplace Benefits Awards in the Health/wellness program category for employers […]
While the coronavirus pandemic may be in the rearview mirror for most employers, the Ontario-based Workplace Safety and Insurance Board knows all too well that the shadow pandemic that emerged from the health crisis is still impacting employees in the workplace. At a time when some employers are considering cutting back on mental-health benefits, the […]
Half (51 per cent) of plan members say the coverage levels of at least one of their health benefits limit their ability to seek necessary treatment, jumping to 84 per cent among those with a major injury in the past 12 months, according to the 2023 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey. It found this percentage increased […]
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 […]
The union representing more than 250 employees at Woodbridge Foam Corp. in Woodbridge, Ont. has ratified a three-year agreement that includes pension and benefits gains. The agreement includes the introduction of the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology’s DBplus pension plan at a two per cent employer match. It also increases annual vision coverage from […]
While gender affirmation and fertility benefits coverage still isn’t included in all group benefits plans, around half of Canada’s group benefits providers include gender affirmation coverage (50 per cent) or fertility benefits coverage (59 per cent) in some of their plan offers, according to an exclusive survey by Benefits Canada. The survey, which polled Canada’s […]
LifeLabs Inc.’s 2021 Workplace Benefits Awards win is helping the company communicate the value of its mental-health support offerings to employees. The organization’s holistic wellness strategy took home the mental-health program award for companies with more than 5,000 employees. When the coronavirus pandemic hit in March 2020, LifeLabs strengthened its mental-health strategy to address employees’ […]