Home Benefits Health benefits Page 112

Latest news in Health benefits

How the trend factor affects your benefits costs

At 11.59%, the overall average health trend factor will continue in the same range this year as it has for the last four years, says…

Fight for your employees’ health

Fight for your employees’ health

Benefits Canada’s 2015 Healthy Outcomes Conference shows how employers can encourage healthy behaviours while containing costs

What’s keeping employers up at night?

What’s keeping employers up at night?

It’s 11:00 p.m. and you’ve survived another day of back-to-back meetings, endless emails, gridlock traffic, making dinner and getting the kids off to bed. Your…

  • August 26, 2015 September 13, 2019
  • 11:49
Sun Life to buy Assurant unit: Report

Sun Life to buy Assurant unit: Report

Sun Life Financial is in discussion to purchase Assurant’s employee benefits division, reports Bloomberg News.

  • By: Staff
  • August 25, 2015 September 13, 2019
  • 15:41
Public healthcare insurance costs typical family nearly $12,000

Public healthcare insurance costs typical family nearly $12,000

A typical Canadian family of four will pay $11,735 for public healthcare insurance in 2015, finds a Fraser Institute study.

  • By: Staff
  • August 20, 2015 September 13, 2019
  • 09:28
The new generation of health risk assessments

The new generation of health risk assessments

Health risk assessments have become the new entry point for health and wellness strategies

Editorial: Fat and lazy?

Editorial: Fat and lazy?

Although genetic factors influence obesity, employers can play a pivotal role in employee health.

Provinces update formularies to include Hepatitis C treatments

Provinces update formularies to include Hepatitis C treatments

Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and Manitoba have all announced that they are adding new generation hepatitis C drug Holkira Pak, to their respective formularies, which also…

  • By: Staff
  • July 29, 2015 September 13, 2019
  • 10:41

Are your employees’ long-term savings goals insured?

Many employees know the value of taking part in their company-sponsored savings plan but unfortunately not enough. They know it’s a valuable tool to help…

  • July 28, 2015 September 13, 2019
  • 12:22
Arrests made in alleged $4-million benefits fraud scheme

Arrests made in alleged $4-million benefits fraud scheme

Toronto Police have arrested three people over an alleged $4-million benefits fraud scheme directed against the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) and Manulife.

  • By: Staff
  • July 27, 2015 September 13, 2019
  • 12:35
Plan sponsors’ priorities need to be met

Plan sponsors’ priorities need to be met

It’s interesting to watch how product and service development, and the marketing of these offerings, takes place in the group benefits industry. Products and services…

  • July 20, 2015 September 13, 2019
  • 00:01
Feds want to join pharmaceutical alliance

Feds want to join pharmaceutical alliance

Health Minister Rona Ambrose has penned a sharply-worded letter calling for the provinces and territories to co-operate with the feds to help slash the cost…

Lawsuit accuses Walmart of denying benefits to same-sex spouses

Lawsuit accuses Walmart of denying benefits to same-sex spouses

A Massachusetts woman has filed a class-action lawsuit accusing Walmart of wrongly denying employee benefits for same-sex spouses.

What stops small businesses from offering benefits?

What stops small businesses from offering benefits?

A well-designed group benefits plan can be critical to attracting and retaining the right talent, as well as keeping employees healthy and productive at work.…

First Health Canada-approved clinical medical cannabis trial launches

First Health Canada-approved clinical medical cannabis trial launches

The first Health Canada-approved clinical trial for medical cannabis in Canadian history launched Tuesday with a public call for participants in Montreal and Halifax.

Face to Face Drug Plan Management Forum coverage

Face to Face Drug Plan Management Forum coverage

Benefits Canada is proud to present editorial coverage of our Face-to-Face Drug Plan Management Forums in Toronto and Vancouver.

  • By: Staff
  • June 22, 2015 September 13, 2019
  • 13:03
The pros and cons of patient support programs

The pros and cons of patient support programs

With a stream of new biologics coming to market, a wide variety of programs and services are available to support patients taking these high-cost specialty…

Massaging the data: A Canadian health benefits trend study

Massaging the data: A Canadian health benefits trend study

David Willows, vice-president, strategic market solutions, with Green Shield Canada (GSC), shared findings from GSC’s 2014 health study. As he explained, this was the first…

Factors affecting drug trends

Factors affecting drug trends

Year after year, the drug plan industry studies trends in utilization and costs with an eye on what’s coming next.

Smoking cessation products and group benefits plans

Last week, three tobacco companies were ordered to pay more than $15 billion in damages to smokers in Quebec.

Medicine’s future is personalized

Medicine’s future is personalized

The future of medicine will be data-driven and focused on creating personalized medicine for each patient based on their individual molecular profile, according to a…

  • By: Staff
  • June 9, 2015 September 13, 2019
  • 11:01
Employers underestimate the prevalence of chronic disease

Employers underestimate the prevalence of chronic disease

Plan sponsors miscalculate how many of their employees have chronic diseases, which suggests they may also underestimate these diseases’ impact over time.

Universal pharmacare could save Canada billions: study

Universal pharmacare could save Canada billions: study

Moving to a publicly-funded, single-payer system for prescription drugs could save Canada billions of dollars, finds a study by The Mowat Centre.

  • By: Staff
  • June 3, 2015 September 13, 2019
  • 12:08
Health pooling: Is there a better way?

Health pooling: Is there a better way?

There have been lots of discussions over the years about healthcare pooling—most notably increases in the cost of pooling. And the volume of the dialogue…

How to cut back benefits without making employees mad

How to cut back benefits without making employees mad

The cost of prescription drugs has been rising fast. Driven by novel and improved treatments for illnesses such as hepatitis C and cancer, fewer drugs…