According to research from Aon Hewitt, a number of employers are considering alternate healthcare models, such as corporate exchanges, to deliver cost-effective employee benefits.
Moderator Suzanne Lepage, a Toronto-based private plan strategist, launched the discussion by asking panellists what principles they followed when making decisions about drugs.
Barbara Martinez, a principal with Mercer, reported on the findings of the organization’s 2011 survey of Canadian private drug plans.
The demand for more expedient and convenient services in the world of health benefits grows every year. And the boundaries of what constitutes an expected…
Anne Harvey, vice-president of HR with Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, discusses union involvement in her organization's disability program.
In 2008, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCH)—comprising 500 worksites, 13 hospitals and 35 long-term care nursing homes in B.C. that provide services to more than…
However, employers are demanding more from their benefits plans, such as modern ways to incorporate them into a total rewards environment that recognizes positive contributions…
Less than 20% of plan sponsors are capable of tracking their specialty drug spend, according to a survey by the U.S.-based Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute…
Steve Moffatt, senior vice-president of sales and marketing with Green Shield Canada, questioned plan sponsors’ ongoing tendency to have their drug plans provide full coverage…
One morning, at age 21, Jeff Aarssen found himself unable to get out of bed.
Desjardins Financial Security has launched a new critical illness insurance product for employers who want to help their employees cope with the financial stress related…
Morneau Shepell has acquired SBC Systems Company, Inc., a U.S. provider of employee benefits administration systems, based in Atlanta, GA.
It can easily be said that Randy McGlynn, CEO of the Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan (OTIP) based in Waterloo, Ont., has a way with people.
With any financial product, a lack of industry standardization often causes confusion within the marketplace. No product within the benefits market today could be more…
Equitable Life of Canada has launched a new drug plan management tool kit, designed to help employers to better understand their drug plan risks and…
Five years ago, Halifax Professional Firefighters took a big step with their benefits plan when they chose to begin actively managing the plan themselves.
That’s unfortunate because this is a shining example of the wasted opportunity many plan sponsors and advisors incur year after year—they are not making use…
A proposal for longer market monopolies by brand names could put a dent in generics savings, according to an analysis of Canadian retail prescription drug…
Communications professionals often stress the need to relay a message seven times in seven different ways to get a point across.
When Shoppers Drug Mart (SDM) set out to review its benefits program in 2009, it quickly became apparent that the company had a galvanizing opportunity…
With public payers across the country acknowledging the value of pharmacy by expanding scopes of practice and funding more services, there are opportunities for drug…
When they were first introduced in the 1980s, health risk assessments (HRAs) were positioned as an effective tool to educate and drive behavioural change among…
The Ontario government has introduced Bill 30, the Family Caregiver Leave Act (Employment Standards Amendment), 2011. If passed, the bill would amend the Employment Standards…
pointed out a cascade effect: one insurer published its health trend factor, and, subsequently, several other insurers published the same trend number.
Sun Life Financial has signed a strategic alliance with Reformulary Group Incorporated to develop a new drug plan for employers.