Private drug plans are hugely valuable, for employees and employers alike, and they need to continue to be a part of the national drug landscape, even with a pharmacare program, said one speaker at the 2018 Calgary Drug Trends Summit. At the same time, drug costs are creating sustainability issues, said Sarah Lussier Hoskyn, senior analyst of […]
Two-thirds (67 per cent) of group insurance brokers said their client base would decrease if employer-paid benefits became taxable income, according to a survey by the Canadian Group Insurance Brokers and Digital Journal Group. In February 2017, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in Parliament his government wasn’t planning to tax employee health and dental plans. However, the […]
On Sept. 25 in Mississauga, Ont., the 2018 Pharmacy Solutions in Drug Plan Management Forum presented five sessions looking at the value that pharmacy brings to private drug plans, benefits plan member experience and health outcomes. Here are some of the highlights of the sessions: Leveraging pharmacy services to improve care, drive value As pharmacists’ […]
While type 2 diabetes is generally considered to be a chronic, progressive condition, a recent clinical trial showed that with pharmacist-led therapeutic nutritional intervention, reversal is a realistic goal. As Sean McKelvey, chief executive officer of the Institute for Personalized Therapeutic Nutrition, told attendees at the 2018 Pharmacy Solutions in Drug Plan Management Forum in […]
Many effective strategies exist when it comes to managing specialty drug costs, but a coordinated approach that takes the financial, clinical and pharmacy elements into account is key to achieving a balance between access and spending, according to Telus Health’s Cory Cowan. Cowan, the organization’s director of professional services, told attendees at the 2018 Pharmacy […]
A new program that aims to move community pharmacies away from a transactional relationship with payors to a shared accountability for patient health outcomes is underway, beginning with measuring performance. Moving toward a value-based system is key because Canada currently spends more per capita on health care, on average, than any other country in the […]
Medical plan costs paid by employers are outpacing inflation, according to a new report by Aon. In Canada, however, medical cost inflation is trending down, lower than both the global and North American averages. Aon expects Canadian medical costs to rise by six per cent next year. Factored against average general inflation of 2.1 per cent in 2019, […]
Any decision reached on pharmacare reform in Canada should guarantee the viability of current health benefits plans, according to the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association in its submission to the advisory council on the implementation of national pharmacare. Jeopardizing current benefits plans could lead to a delay in access to new medicines and could potentially […]
Green Shield Canada is launching a new benefits product, which will focus on drug coverage and mental-health support and eliminate coverage for massage therapy. The new plan, called SMARTspend, will include a managed drug formulary with 100 per cent coverage and no dollar caps, digital mental-health support options, health coaching from pharmacists and dietitians and vision […]
On Sept. 20, the 2018 Halifax Benefits Summit featured insightful sessions on benefits, health and wellness and drug plan trends. With population numbers struggling in the Maritimes, the conference looked at how companies can ensure they’re providing plan members with the best, most competitive benefits options in order to attract and retain talent. Here are some of the highlights of […]