A new generation of glucagon-like peptide-1 drugs approved for the treatment of obesity will soon be available in Canada, presenting an opportunity for plan sponsors to meet members’ health and wellness needs. It’s important for employers to consider meeting with their insurer now to find out how the rollout of these drugs will affect their […]
After her husband Mike Kessler was diagnosed with mild Alzheimer’s disease in 2021, Karen Kessler admitted she would hover around him. The Windsor, Ont. couple implemented many strategies in place to manage Mike’s diagnosis, and Karen remembers believing he would need plenty of help. “I was doing everything, I was carrying the load, and quite […]
Employees with pulmonary arterial hypertension can experience significant impacts to their quality of life and workplace experience, said John Granton, a respirologist with the University Health Network in Toronto, during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2024 Chronic Disease at Work conference in February. Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a very rare condition, affecting less than 10,000 Canadians. It’s […]
Amid an increase in diabetes diagnoses among Canadians, pharmacists can play a greater role in employers’ and private payers’ chronic disease prevention and management strategies given their increasing scope of practice, said representatives for Health Solutions by Shoppers, during a webinar hosted by Benefits Canada and sponsored by Health Solutions by Shoppers in January. As […]
The 10 highest-cost drugs reimbursed by public drug plans in Canada in the 2021/22 fiscal year were all rare disease treatments with annual treatment costs of more than $250,000, according to a new report by the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board. It found the increased use of high-cost drugs continued to be the main factor […]
As someone who has become increasingly overweight in the last few years, every time I read or write about obesity being referred to as a ‘lifestyle condition’ it makes me physically cringe. Yes, some poor diet choices have contributed to my current physical condition, but it’s much more complex than that. And I know others […]
Obesity has long been misunderstood and stigmatized as a lifestyle condition instead of a complex disease, said Rami Halabi, a medical science liaison with Novo Nordisk, during a webinar hosted by Benefits Canada and sponsored by Novo Nordisk in November. The condition isn’t just a measure of size, but a progressive, relapsing chronic disease characterized […]
Many plan members are experiencing risk factors related to poor mental, physical and financial well-being, but often don’t know they can turn to their benefits plans for help. Indeed, when Canada Life’s disability claims report asked plan members going on disability whether they sought out counselling through their benefits plans, more than half said they […]
As the proportion of Canadians living with one or more chronic disease continues to rise, plan sponsors have the opportunity to provide specific solutions to some of the most common conditions in their employee population, said Karen Callaghan, senior director of chronic disease education and patient support at Novo Nordisk, during Benefits Canada‘s 2023 Healthy […]
About a year before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Algonquin College updated its disability management program. The timing set the Ottawa-based college up for success when the crisis hit, says Jessica Myers, its acting manager of wellness and abilities, allowing her team to focus on proactive supports, knowing case management was well in hand. […]