The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association is seeking feedback on a number of areas related to its new compensation disclosure guideline. Last month, the…
Before making changes to a benefits plan or building one from scratch, plan sponsors should first determine what problems they’re trying to solve, according to a human…
Express Scripts Canada has won a five-year contract to process millions of pharmacy, dental, vision, mental health and medical supplies and equipment claims for Indigenous Canadians.…
Alberta Blue Cross is reducing its rates for dental benefits to align with recent changes to Alberta’s dental fee guide. The new fee guide, which took effect on…
Plan sponsors looking to integrate pharmacogenetic testing into their benefits plan will soon have lots of information to consider as Canada’s biggest insurance companies roll out pilot projects…
The average medical marijuana patient likely uses less of the drug than prescribers think, according to an industry participant whose company has experience with coverage…
The Co-operators Group Ltd. is expanding its mental-health support for employees by increasing its annual coverage of mental-health services to $5,000 a year per family member.…
Three of the world’s largest organizations are joining up to form an independent health-care company with the aim of providing U.S. employees and their families with simple,…
The pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance and the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association have reached a deal aimed at reducing the prices for some generic drugs by as much as 40…
While Amazon.com Inc. has Alexa and Apple Inc. has Siri, Morneau Shepell Ltd. is introducing a new virtual assistant designed to help employees with their human resources needs. Ava,…
SSQ Life Insurance Co. Inc. is partnering with digital health-care provider Dialogue to provide its employees and insured plan members with same-day access to health professional services…
When it comes to issues such as medical marijuana, it’s important to draft tightly worded benefits plans, according to a Toronto lawyer. Ross Gascho, a partner at…
While the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association acknowledges that Health Canada’s proposed approach to the regulation of marijuana aims to improve patient access, it’s expressing concern…
Since Ontario rolled out its new pharmacare program for youth on Jan. 1, multiple media reports have detailed the challenges faced by some people in transitioning to…
About a quarter (23 per cent) of full-time American employees don’t receive workplace benefits such as health insurance, paid vacation or a retirement savings plan, according…
A proposed guideline setting out standards for the disclosure of intermediary compensation in group benefits and retirement services could have a big effect on the market. Dave Patriarche,…
The Co-operators Life Insurance Co. is introducing retiree benefits plans to help its group plan members transition from their company’s health and dental plans upon…
The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association will be holding information sessions in the coming weeks about its new guideline for disclosing compensation to intermediaries…
As the ways that Canadians use smartphones and apps continue to evolve, what are the implications for those technologies in health-care and wellness services? According to recent…
Universal pharmacare is an “overly simplistic” solution that risks cutting access to drugs, says a senior executive at one of Canada’s largest pharmaceutical companies. “It…
Employers will see private drug plan costs rise by about six per cent annually over the next five years, according to a prediction by a…
Employers should review their drug plans annually to make sure they’re getting value for money, according to a speaker at the recent Face to Face…
What’s the impact of a potential national pharmacare program on private drug plans? Attendees heard the range of perspectives at the recent Face to Face…
From biosimilars to product listing agreements, a panel of experts tackled some of the hottest topics in drug plan management at the Face to Face…
As a new year begins, many organizations are considering their strategies for benefits plan management in 2018 and beyond. Faced with the challenge of balancing employee needs and…