Latest news in Health benefits

How can employers manage work-from-home burnout?

Before the coronavirus pandemic, 20 per cent of BMO Financial Group’s 45,000 employees were working from home on a fairly regular basis. Since March, that’s jumped…

Canada Life cutting group health premiums to support Canadians, SMEs

Canada Life cutting group health premiums to support Canadians, SMEs

The Canada Life Assurance Co. is cutting its health insurance premiums for its employer-sponsored benefits plans to support small- and medium-sized businesses facing hardship as…

  • By: Staff
  • April 17, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 09:05

A field guide to the spectrum of Canadian mental-health professionals

Mental-health issues continue to be a driver of employee absence and disability year after year, so it’s important for employers to understand and cover a…

Q&A with Telus Communications’ Carol Craig

Telus Communications Inc.’s director of pension and benefits talks about plan member choice, honouring diversity and local walks. Q. What top challenges do you face in…

  • By: Avery Page
  • April 17, 2020 March 4, 2021
  • 08:50
Goldman Sachs using virtual programs to support workers, kids during coronavirus

Goldman Sachs using virtual programs to support workers, kids during coronavirus

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is supporting its U.S. staff during the coronavirus pandemic with a series of programs they can tune into remotely, from fitness…

  • By: Staff
  • April 16, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 09:45
Specialty drug usage, traditional drug costs drive small rise in 2019 spending: report

Specialty drug usage, traditional drug costs drive small rise in 2019 spending: report

Private drug plans saw a slight uptick in costs in 2019 due to the increased use of specialty drugs and higher price points for traditional medications,…

  • By: Staff
  • April 14, 2020 September 15, 2022
  • 10:00
Number of staff working remotely, part time up 415%: survey

Number of staff working remotely, part time up 415%: survey

Several weeks into the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. has seen a 415 per cent increase in the percentage of employees working remotely or part time, according to…

  • By: Staff
  • April 13, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 15:15

Should plan sponsors shift their benefits plan spend during coronavirus?

With the coronavirus pandemic affecting many businesses, employers are considering their options for shifting their benefits plan spend. Usage rates for benefits such as dental and paramedical…

Considerations for employers rehiring with help from federal wage subsidies

With a few days under their belts to digest the federal government’s proposed wage subsidy benefits, some Canadian employers are starting to rehire workers who were put…

Webinar: Coronavirus and workplace mental health

Webinar: Coronavirus and workplace mental health

While physical well-being is vital during the coronavirus pandemic, the situation is raising multiple mental-health issues, including rising stress levels exacerbated by job uncertainty and…

Global sales of mental-health drugs could hit US$40B by 2025 due to coronavirus

Global sales of mental-health drugs could hit US$40B by 2025 due to coronavirus

The mental-health repercussions of the coronavirus could see global sales of psychiatric drugs increase to more than US$40 billion by 2025, according to data and…

  • By: Staff
  • April 7, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 15:00

81% of Canadians say coronavirus is negatively affecting their mental health: survey

Morneau Shepell Ltd.’s latest monthly mental-health index, which includes a measure of how the coronavirus pandemic is impacting Canadian workers’ mental health, has reached a new…

  • By: Staff
  • April 6, 2020 March 29, 2021
  • 15:15

How will the coronavirus impact long-term disability claims?

The coronavirus pandemic is expected to impact employers’ short-term disability claims’ experience as workers fall ill and require time off work to recover from the virus,…

Walmart Canada rolls out free virtual health care to all staff

Walmart Canada rolls out free virtual health care to all staff

Walmart Canada has introduced a free virtual health-care platform for employees in response to the coronavirus. The service, through EQ Care, has been available to about 90,000…

MindBeacon launches digital mental-health programs to help Canadians with coronavirus-related stress

MindBeacon launches digital mental-health programs to help Canadians with coronavirus-related stress

MindBeacon is launching a new digital mental-health program, called Stronger Minds, to support all Canadians through heightened stresses related to the coronavirus pandemic. “We, as…

Trucking company providing mental-health app for staff during coronavirus crisis

Trucking company providing mental-health app for staff during coronavirus crisis

Trimac Transportation is partnering with Calgary-headquartered wellness app Headversity to provide mental-health and resilience training for its workers. Truckers have been experiencing elevated levels of stress…

  • By: Staff
  • April 1, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 15:00
Sun Life, Dialogue partner on free virtual care for plan members

Sun Life, Dialogue partner on free virtual care for plan members

Sun Life is partnering with telemedicine platform Dialogue to provide its group benefits plan members with free access to a virtual health-care service during the…

  • By: Staff
  • March 31, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 15:00

Supporting employees’ workplace health, financial wellness during coronavirus

It’s the only story around these days. COVID-19 — the coronavirus — has broken out all over the world, leading to strain on health-care resources,…

Molson Coors launches paid leave programs during coronavirus

Molson Coors launches paid leave programs during coronavirus

Molson Coors Beverage Co. is providing all its North American employees with access to new paid leave programs during the coronavirus crisis. For employees who…

  • By: Staff
  • March 30, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 15:15
Ryerson provides virtual lunch and learns, remote work guide for staff during coronavirus

Ryerson provides virtual lunch and learns, remote work guide for staff during coronavirus

Ryerson University is taking a well-rounded approach toward supporting its staff and faculty who are working from home due to the coronavirus outbreak. The university…

Global employers preparing for future of work: survey

Global employers preparing for future of work: survey

The majority (61 per cent) of global employees believe their employers are preparing them for the future of work and 55 per cent said they…

  • By: Staff
  • March 27, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 15:30
U.S. employer health-care costs could rise 7% with coronavirus testing, treatment

U.S. employer health-care costs could rise 7% with coronavirus testing, treatment

As U.S. employers look to keep their workers safe and healthy in the face of the global pandemic, they could see their health-care benefits costs…

  • By: Staff
  • March 27, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 15:30
Conference coverage: 2020 Employers Cancer Care Summit

Conference coverage: 2020 Employers Cancer Care Summit

On March 3, the 2020 Employers Cancer Care Summit featured sessions on cancer-related issues and opportunities tied to benefits plans and the workplace. Many perspectives required when…

Many perspectives required when covering cancer drugs on benefits plans

Many perspectives required when covering cancer drugs on benefits plans

While treatment options for cancer are more than they used to be, many still aren’t covered under the public health-care system, according to Tim Clarke, president…

Immunotherapy innovations beneficial in kidney cancer treatment

Immunotherapy innovations beneficial in kidney cancer treatment

While kidney cancer is uncommon in patients younger than age 45, there’s an increasing incidence in diagnosis in young people because of the advent of imaging…