Employers already know mental health issues are taking a huge toll on productivity and morale—and especially benefits costs. And the situation is getting worse. “The numbers are staggering,” said Dr. Ash Bender, staff psychiatrist and consultant to the Work, Stress and Health program at the Centre of Addiction and Mental Health. “Most people have heard […]
Unequal funding and treatment for cancer costs everyone, including employers
It’s like living with a ticking time bomb. That’s how people with chronic lymphomatic leukemia describe their illness because they never know when their health will take a turn for the worse.
Private drug plans in Canada are facing an uncertain future. While the costs of many medications have decreased over the past few years as generics began replacing many commonly used medications coming off patent, those savings have been offset by the introduction of new, more effective and more costly medications; the rise in chronic diseases, such as diabetes; and expensive biologic and specialty treatments.
Stress, anxiety, depression and other mental health issues have created a new reality—a “new normal”—for employers across Canada. And this new normal is taking a financial toll. According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, the total economic burden of mental illness in the country is $51 billion annually, with $20 billion resulting from loss of workplace productivity.
The world of pharmaceuticals is changing. New, more effective medications are replacing older ones, more biologic treatments are being developed, advances are being made in treating catastrophic illnesses, and drug patents are expiring resulting in more and more generic alternatives becoming available. Canada’s population is changing, too. Our aging population means an increased demand for […]
Employers are well aware that depression and other mental health issues presently cost Canadian businesses more than $20.7 billion a year.
Sgt. Tim Burrows realized that he had a problem. It was 2008, and the 18-year veteran of Toronto Police Service had started in the newly created position of traffic communications officer. His mandate was to raise public awareness of Toronto’s traffic challenges and provide safety information in an effort to reduce accidents and fatalities on the roads.
Infertility is on the rise in Canada, as various studies referenced in the March 2012 issue of Human Reproduction indicate. In 2009/10, 16% of heterosexual couples in which the woman is age 18 to 44 are experiencing infertility—nearly double the 1992 figure (8.5%).