In recent years, private drug plan sponsors have been faced with a serious issue: an increase in the number of covered individuals claiming very high-cost…
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…
Non-adherence to prescribed medication and lack of communication among the various healthcare stakeholders are two of the main issues that continue to plague Canada’s workplace…
Pharmacy can play a greater role in benefits programs, supporting employees and plan sponsors alike
’Tis the season for the sniffles.
The end of November marks 10 years of existence for Cubic Health. While the pace of change in the employee benefits industry is greater today…
Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc. has launched a new claims transmission option for select healthcare providers.
The Supreme Court of Canada has upheld Ontario’s ban on pharmacy chains from selling their own private label branded generic drugs. “If pharmacies were permitted…
The Supreme Court of Canada denied leave to appeal from a decision of the British Columbia Court of Appeal in Lacey v. Weyerhaeuser Company Ltd.
The compounded annual growth rate of private market drug costs, at an overall market level, will be in the range of 1.6% to 2.8% between…
Health benefit costs in the United States continued to slow in 2013 as employers took action in anticipation of new expenditures that will arise over…
With ever-bloating drug plan costs, sponsors need bite-sized solutions to get costs under control
I have been asked by several people for my views on the benefits of the future. In this article, I suggest that the benefits currently…
Most Americans see the benefits a company offers—especially health insurance—as an important consideration when they accept or reject a job, but not all employees are…
Many Canadian companies will soon start preparing disclosures for their fiscal year-end corporate financial statements. For most organizations that account for their pension and other…
Canadian senators Pamela Wallin, Mike Duffy and Patrick Brazeau have been suspended from the Senate without pay for the next two years, but they will…
Four short-term strategies to save on benefits plan costs
CGI Federal—the Canadian company which is the main contractor for the new Obamacare website—says the U.S. government bears the ultimate responsibility for all the glitches…
Despite general unfamiliarity with the Affordable Care Act, a majority of U.S. employees believe the new law will increase how much they pay for health…
Encouraging employees to live a healthier lifestyle eventually gives way to the notion that for some, the need for prescription drugs may be largely unavoidable.…
In his 2012 article, “Too complex to depict?”, Professor Henry Hu of the University of Texas Law School asks whether “too-big-to-fail” banks are too complex…
I recently presented at an employee benefits conference in the United States. As you would expect, much of the discussion was focused on Obamacare, however,…
Not long ago, drug cost management typically entailed reductions in coverage for plan members in the form of lower coinsurance, increased deductibles, dispensing fee caps,…
Although many of Canada’s small businesses feel responsible for their employees, few of them provide health and retirement benefits, according to the 2013 Manulife Financial…
The 2013 Vancouver Benefits & Pension Summit provided delegates with the information they need to reduce costs, create solutions, improve the workforce and manage risks.…