Starting today, seniors and children in Saskatchewan will have to pay more for prescription drugs under the province’s drug program. As part of the province’s…
Lakeside Process Controls says it’s seeing results from its wellness program as employee health improves and prescription drug claims fall. “We’re off to a great…
Since healthy workplace design accreditation system Fitwel’s soft launch last week, it has attracted more than 50 applications from employers to serve as beta testers or “champions” in the program.…
Almost three-quarters (72 per cent) of U.S. employers believe a major perk to private health insurance exchanges is giving employees more choice around their benefits, a Willis Towers…
Retiree benefit plans are shrinking or dropping off the map altogether, Mercer found in its 2015 post-retirement benefits trends poll released today. Just 15 years…
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…
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…
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…
Many of you have probably never heard of Ben Pobjoy. While he may not be a household name, some of you may have seen his…
While many Canadian drug benefits plans have adopted generic substitution policies, plans sponsors continue to face significant cost pressures. “Keeping these plans affordable and sustainable…
With disability claims rising, many plan sponsors are questioning whether they’ll be able to offer their employees a complete group benefits plan in the coming…
With high costs for dental services, Alberta is facing calls to rein in the fees. It was in 1997 that the Alberta Dental Association published…
ABB Canada saw 93 per cent of its 3,200 eligible employees actively enroll in a new benefits plan following the acquisition of manufacturer Thomas & Betts…
The increased mainstream acceptance of marijuana and its medicinal qualities has sparked a discussion around whether it should be paid for as a treatment in…
DJ Galvanizing has launched a monthly wellness program for its employees that focuses on musculoskeletal health. “We had a time where we were seeing a lot…
RBC Insurance has launched a preferred pharmacy network for specialty drugs, which it expects will cut claims costs by three to four percent. Figures from IMS Brogan…
CSA Group has doubled employee participation in its defined contribution pension plan – from 40 per cent to 85 per cent – following a number of changes…
Established in 2010, the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance includes all 13 provinces and territories and, since January 2016, the federal government. While the alliance has touted…
Despite the billions of dollars spent on health care in Canada by both public and private payers, there’s a significant gap in the coverage available…
Just 12 per cent of U.S. employers offer transgender-inclusive benefits, finds a survey from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. The survey, which polled 577 human resources…
The federal auditor general is urging Veterans Affairs Canada to step up efforts to secure lower drug prices and look for ways to control spending on…
The cost of employee health-care benefits around the globe is increasing, driven by the higher cost of hospital and inpatient services, medical technology and the overuse…
Kickbacks for health benefits billed to multinational industrial company Atlas Copco Canada Inc. are at the centre of a criminal trial underway in Sudbury, Ont., that’s…
It seems even the judiciary isn’t immune to efforts to rein in benefits plans, including post-retirement coverage. In a recent decision of Ontario’s Divisional Court,…
As multinational companies expand into new markets, services such as employee assistance programs are taking off on a global level as well. “At a macro level, there is a…