Lululemon Athletica Inc.’s holistic approach to absence management led to a win at Benefits Canada’s 2023 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 20. The apparel company won in the Absence management program category for its comprehensive leave policies. In 2022, Lululemon launched a formal employee workplace accommodations program for its North American population. The program establishes clear policy and guidelines, […]
In 2022, some of the top chronic conditions affecting group benefits plans were diabetes, obesity, depression and arthritis. Diabetes was the No. 1 ranked condition for drug claims in 2022, knocking rheumatoid arthritis down to the No. 2 spot, according to Telus Health’s annual drug plan trends report. And the 2023 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey […]
Canada’s life and health insurers paid out a record $114 billion in health and retirement benefits last year, up $11 billion since before the coronavirus pandemic and up 60 per cent from a decade ago, according to the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association’s annual fact book. “During a year when many households faced higher […]
The Nova Scotia Labour Board has ordered St. Mary’s University to resume making pension contributions for employees on long-term disability leave, reasoning that the pension committee had no authority to make changes to contribution levels mandated by the plan. “The board found that amendments to the pension plan proposed by the pension committee — the […]
Nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) of Canadian benefits plan members say they appreciate their health benefits more today than they did before the coronavirus pandemic, according to the 2023 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey. It found while this result is generally consistent across all cross tabulations, the biggest variation occurred regionally, with a high of 85 […]
Last year, a benefits plan member in British Columbia was shocked when his insurance provider rejected an orthotics claim because the prescriber was a nurse practitioner rather than a “physician.” In the story, reported by the Victoria, B.C.-based Times Colonist, the chief executive officer of Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of B.C. said it wasn’t the […]
An article on how global pension funds compare in terms of transparency was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Five Canadian pension funds receive top scores for transparency: benchmark 2. How plan sponsors, insurers are considering coverage of weight-loss drugs amid rising use […]
The majority (88 per cent) of Canadians employees say the coronavirus pandemic changed how they work in one or more ways, a percentage that increases among employees who work remotely (91 per cent) and those in a hybrid work arrangement (96 per cent), according to a survey conducted by RKI Inc. this spring. The results […]
Total U.S. sales of workplace disability insurance premiums reached $1.7 billion in the first quarter of 2023 — a year-over-year increase of five per cent — driven by a 17 per cent increase in short-term disability insurance sales, according to a new report by LIMRA. It also found sales of long-term disability insurance premiums were down five […]
In three short years, the relationship between Canadian employers and employees has changed dramatically as a result of the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on health, finances and overall sense of security. While there’s a lot of talk about the world settling into a new normal in 2023, it’s not clear what that will look like. The […]