What are the best ways for plan sponsors to ensure the affordability of their drug plans while providing their employees with the medications they need? Speakers at Benefits Canada’s Calgary Drug Trends Summit covered the bases in front of a large audience of plan sponsors gathered at the Downtown Marriott Hotel on Nov. 2. From […]
When she was in her early 30s, Dawn Richards had so much inflammation and pain in her hands that she couldn’t turn the key to open her front door. Every morning, getting up required a monumental effort. Her feet were stiff and swollen, she ached all over and no matter how much rest she got, […]
The benefits industry is in a unique position to make a difference to Canada’s growing opioid crisis, according to Margaret Wurzer, senior manager of benefits and product development at Alberta Blue Cross. “We really have a place in sounding early-warning bells before a problem develops in terms of addicted members,” said Wurzer, noting the significant […]
With a complex approval process in Canada and new medications in rapid development, it’s important to look carefully at what a drug plan covers, according to Dr. Alexander Paterson, a medical oncologist at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre. “There is a prevalent idea that everything in health care is covered by the state,” Paterson told […]
Biosimilar medicines present a significant opportunity to address the demands on drug benefit plans, the president of Biosimilars Canada told Benefits Canada’s Calgary Drug Trends Summit on Nov. 2. “We’re trying to ensure we can continue to bring biosimilars into the Canadian market to provide you with quality medicines at competitive pricing to help you […]
As the debate continues over which drugs plan sponsors should cover, how do patients feel about biosimilars? According to survey data presented at Benefits Canada’s Calgary Drug Trends Summit, patients don’t want to see automatic substitutions of drugs and want to be able to make informed choices and provide consent before switching medications. Those are […]
In the face of rising overall health premiums, how can plan sponsors ensure the sustainability of their benefit plans? “It’s not just about drugs,” says Joe Farago, executive director of health-care innovation at Innovative Medicines Canada, told Benefits Canada’s Calgary Drug Trends Summit on Nov. 2. “You have to look at everything if you want […]
With low oil prices and a weak Canadian dollar signalling fiscal constraints for many Canadian employers, the 2016 Calgary Benefits Summit shone a spotlight on how companies can overcome challenges to their benefits plans in difficult economic times. The event took place at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Calgary and covered everything from high dental […]
With the use of antidepressants rising significantly in the past two decades, it’s not just specialty drugs that are putting cost pressures on benefits plans, participants at Benefits Canada’s Calgary Benefits Summit heard on May 5. According to data from Green Shield Canada (GSC), once plan members reach their 30s, the highest volume of drug claims […]
Investing in wellness programs can improve both employee health and the bottom line, according to a speaker at Benefits Canada’s Calgary Benefits Summit. “We can draw a dollars and cents connection between wellness and how it impacts the bottom line,” Colleen Hutchings, director of organizational health at Sun Life Financial, told participants at the May […]