As plan sponsors contend with high utilization of their drug plans and a host of costly new drugs coming to market, a variety of cost-containment measures can ensure plans remain sustainable while still supporting members. Plan sponsors’ annual drug plan spend has been steadily rising, said Martin Gascon, senior director of group benefits at Eckler […]
Plan sponsors are facing the perfect storm of rising benefits costs, a surge in chronic disease prevalence and fierce competition for top talent. All the while, 55 per cent of Canadian workers feel their employee benefits plan doesn’t fully meet their needs, according to Telus Health’s mental-health index. More than 50 per cent of plan members […]
While migraine is a complex neurological condition that can significantly impact patients’ quality of life and ability to work, it’s also poorly understood and often accompanied by the weight of stigma, said Elizabeth Leroux, faculty lecturer at McGill University, during a session sponsored by Lundbeck at Benefits Canada’s 2024 Healthy Outcomes Conference. One in 10 Canadians […]
During the coronavirus pandemic, McCarthy Tétrault elevated its well-being program and made sure employees had access to the resources they needed. But within a couple of years, Rita Apa (pictured right), the law firm’s chief human resources officer, said her team realized it was “deploying tactics instead of truly developing and implementing a coherent wellness […]
Canadian defined contribution plan members’ knowledge of target-date funds is lacking and it may point to a larger issue: the stakes set for member investment knowledge may be too high, hindering engagement efforts, according to a survey by MFS Investment Management. The survey of around 1,000 Canadian DC plan members, including 700 active members and 300 […]
Pension plan members’ primary concerns about their golden years are whether they’ve saved enough money to live their dream retirement, whether those funds will last and whether they’ll be able to leave a legacy for their family. But numerous surveys of Canadians indicate many don’t feel financially literate enough to address those concerns, according to […]
The rapid rise in the cost of living in 2022 and into 2023 underscored the need for target-date funds to not just protect against standard inflation, but inflation shocks as well. The problem that presents is the more inflation protection that’s added into a portfolio, the lower the returns, said Nick Nefouse, managing director, global […]
Benefits plan sponsors’ efforts to reduce stigma around mental-health challenges and encourage employees to bring their whole selves to work are bearing fruit, said benefits and wellness experts during Benefits Canada’s launch event for the 2024 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey. The survey found three-quarters of plan members and 87 per cent of plan sponsors agreed […]
BDO Canada LLP employees who are considering taking a pottery course, planning a family vacation or even booking a caterer for their wedding can get a little financial assistance from the company’s newest benefit. The consultancy’s Do What You Love program, which launched in 2022, provides plan members with a set annual reimbursement amount for […]
People going through the loss of a loved one often worry they’re not grieving in the right way if their experience differs from their and others’ expectations of what grief looks like, said Deborah McLeod, clinical director at Carepath Inc., during Benefits Canada’s 2024 Mental Health Summit in June. Grief is a highly individualized process […]