Latest news in Health benefits

Tackling the challenges of benefits provision for employees over age 65

Tackling the challenges of benefits provision for employees over age 65

Increasing longevity, better health and the elimination of mandatory retirement means many Canadians are delaying their retirement past age 65, presenting employers with both advantages…

  • September 12, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 09:36
Innovation requires changing ‘outdated’ rules, says benefits entrepreneur

Innovation requires changing ‘outdated’ rules, says benefits entrepreneur

Citing changing expectations around health care, League Inc. founder Michael Serbinis called for Canada to embrace the changes needed to encourage innovation in employee benefits…

  • By: Jann Lee
  • September 9, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 11:17
New contract for Ontario nurses to include benefits and wage increases

New contract for Ontario nurses to include benefits and wage increases

About 50,000 registered nurses working in Ontario’s hospital sector will see changes to their health benefits and attendance management policies, as well as wage increases…

  • By: Staff
  • September 9, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 09:55
Canada Post union reveals labour deal details

Canada Post union reveals labour deal details

Canada Post’s tentative agreement with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers doubles almost all paramedical benefits for rural and suburban mail carriers. The only exception…

  • By: Staff
  • September 8, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 10:13
What are the goals of massage therapy as an employee benefit?

What are the goals of massage therapy as an employee benefit?

“It would take me the entire hour to get rid of all the trigger points along your spine,” the massage therapist tells me during a…

Should benefit plans cover HIV prophylactic?

Should benefit plans cover HIV prophylactic?

Plan sponsors and provincial governments alike should include the HIV prevention medication PrEP in their formularies, AIDS activists say. Health Canada approved PrEP — a…

Editorial: Massage issue reflects tough choices for plan sponsors

Editorial: Massage issue reflects tough choices for plan sponsors

Despite all of the concern about the sustainability of drug plans, it seems rising claims for paramedical services such as massage therapy aren’t a big…

  • By: Glenn Kauth
  • September 1, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 09:00
How Imax supports employee wellness through flexible funding

How Imax supports employee wellness through flexible funding

Three years ago, Imax Corp. created a $500 annual wellness spending account for its Canadian employees to spend on anything related to health and fitness.…

  • By: Jann Lee
  • September 1, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 08:59
High cholesterol among key diseases plan sponsors should be aware of

High cholesterol among key diseases plan sponsors should be aware of

While much of the talk has been about conditions such as hepatitis C, a number of other diseases are likely to start taking a bigger…

Canadian Leadership Council on Drug Plan Partnerships: The quest for simple

Canadian Leadership Council on Drug Plan Partnerships: The quest for simple

Without a doubt, drug plan management has become more complex. Growing utilization has been a driving factor for more than a decade, but the emergence…

  • By: Karen Welds
  • September 1, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 08:51
Case study: Universal Music Canada’s response to biologics

Case study: Universal Music Canada’s response to biologics

Universal Music Canada Inc. got a wake-up call in 2009, when the renewal of its insured benefits plan for about 180 employees added an unprecedented…

  • By: Karen Welds
  • September 1, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 08:51
How to introduce a wellness spending account

How to introduce a wellness spending account

While a wellness spending account may seem straightforward, it’s more difficult to manage than it seems, says Art Babcock, senior vice-president at Aon Hewitt. The…

  • By: Jann Lee
  • September 1, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 08:50
Healthy Outcomes: Employers urged to consider millennials’ needs in designing benefits plans

Healthy Outcomes: Employers urged to consider millennials’ needs in designing benefits plans

With millennials on track to make up the majority of the Canadian workforce by 2020, it’s important for employers to learn how to create a…

  • By: Yaelle Gang
  • September 1, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 08:48
Healthy Outcomes: Getting a better handle on chronic disease

Healthy Outcomes: Getting a better handle on chronic disease

Plan sponsors can get a better handle on their benefits costs through better management of chronic disease, participants at Benefits Canada’s Healthy Outcomes conference heard.…

Healthy Outcomes: A cardiologist’s prescription for better heart health

Healthy Outcomes: A cardiologist’s prescription for better heart health

While cardiovascular disease puts a serious financial burden on plan sponsors, they do have options to achieve better outcomes, according to a cardiologist who spoke…

Healthy Outcomes: The role of the pharmacist in helping plan members stay healthy

Healthy Outcomes: The role of the pharmacist in helping plan members stay healthy

In a society where people are busy and have little time to care for themselves, pharmacists may have a larger role to play in helping…

  • By: Yaelle Gang
  • September 1, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 08:48
Healthy Outcomes: Cheat days ‘problematic,’ says obesity expert

Healthy Outcomes: Cheat days ‘problematic,’ says obesity expert

At the 2016 Healthy Outcomes conference in June, Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, medical director of the Bariatric Medical Institute in Ottawa, told an audience of plan…

  • By: Glenn Kauth
  • September 1, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 08:48
Healthy Outcomes: How can organizations foster resilience in the workplace?

Healthy Outcomes: How can organizations foster resilience in the workplace?

Organizations that have resilient employees are more likely to succeed in turbulent times, a University of Toronto professor told Benefits Canada’s Healthy Outcomes conference in…

  • By: Jann Lee
  • September 1, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 08:48
How Campbell Canada boosted its wellness program

How Campbell Canada boosted its wellness program

Among the companies taking wellness issues to heart is Campbell Co. of Canada. The company began boosting its wellness programs in 2003 after receiving feedback…

  • By: Jann Lee
  • September 1, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 08:48
Have your say: Should Canada embrace pharmacare?

Have your say: Should Canada embrace pharmacare?

The pharmaceutical company Mylan has been making headlines this week for hiking U.S. prices for EpiPens by 500 per cent. In 2007, two EpiPens cost…

  • By: Staff
  • August 30, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 11:33
Judge rules against reinstating U.S. Steel Canada retiree benefits

Judge rules against reinstating U.S. Steel Canada retiree benefits

The United Steelworkers is decrying a decision by the Ontario Superior Court to deny its bid to reinstate retiree benefits at U.S. Steel Canada. The…

  • By: Staff
  • August 23, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 10:35
How employee health trusts can help manage ballooning benefits costs

How employee health trusts can help manage ballooning benefits costs

With escalating drug costs and the strain of retiree benefits dragging down balance sheets, it’s no wonder employers are looking for creative ways to limit…

Sun Life names two assistant vice-presidents for group benefits

Sun Life names two assistant vice-presidents for group benefits

Sun Life Financial has appointed Rachel McNeill-Thompson as assistant vice-president of marketing and communications and Jean-Michel Lavoie as assistant vice-president of product development in its…

  • By: Staff
  • August 23, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 08:27
Have your say: Was the decision to revert OAS eligibility to age 65 a good move?

Have your say: Was the decision to revert OAS eligibility to age 65 a good move?

Was the government’s decision to restore eligibility for old-age security to age 65 the correct choice? Tabled in March, the federal budget cancelled provisions in…

  • By: Staff
  • August 22, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 14:34
Canadians divided on benefits of a universal drug program: report

Canadians divided on benefits of a universal drug program: report

Canadians are split on the main benefits of a proposed publicly-funded universal drug program, according to the Canadian Medical Association’s annual national report card on…

  • By: Staff
  • August 22, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 10:28