Approaching retirement can be an emotional time for some employees. Add to that the prospect of reduced or even the total elimination of health benefits, and boomers can be forgiven for reluctantly starting life as retiree. What is the current environment like for plan sponsors who do believe there is a moral obligation to at […]
Public service and education retirees in Quebec now have access to supplemental prescription drug insurance offered by RAMQ with the additional health insurance plan 3997 offered by AQRP in partnership with La Capitale assurance et gestion du patrimoine. The plan includes several prescription drugs not reimbursed by RAMQ, as well as the reimbursement of a […]
Companies could help lessen the impact of financial hardship on employees’ health and wellbeing by offering loans to help them combat their debts, according to Charles Cotton, performance and reward advisor with the U.K.’s Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. A recent Standard Life survey of 250 employers revealed that 80% feel responsible for the […]
Take the opportunity to spread the word about about your employee benefits today—it’s National Employee Benefits Day. April 4, 2011 marks the seventh annual celebration of this day. Spearheaded by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, today provides an opportunity for anyone with employee benefit responsibilities, including trustees, administrators, practitioners and professional advisors, to […]
While most plan sponsors have emergency medical travel insurance as part of their group insurance plan not everyone is aware of what exclusions could deny coverage for an insured individual. It is important that plan sponsors have a thorough knowledge of the details of their travel coverage and that the information is communicated to the […]
Visa Canada and Great-West Life have teamed up to give Canadian plan members a simplified way to use their health benefits with a new benefits payment card. The card, called the Health SolutionsPlus Visa payment card, will allow point-of-sale access to a group plan member’s available healthcare spending account (HCSA) balance. The card will reduce […]
If you’re eager to start up a benefits plan for your small business but don’t know where to start, a benefits consultant may be an ideal solution. With connections to service providers across the country and in-depth knowledge of the various products on the market, a good benefits consultant can help develop a plan that […]
Because of the young average employee age at Work at Play, getting buy-in for a benefits plan was a challenge in the years following the company’s 1999 creation, says Mandy Eagles Gratton. Management didn’t want to go to the trouble and expense when interest was lacking. In those early days, the company had just eight […]
Today, the “new normal” for benefits plan sponsors means trying to keep up with the rapid pace of research and development in dental healthcare while simultaneously making sure cost containment remains paramount. The goal for plan sponsors is to provide appropriate and relevant coverage for their members. But with new and exciting dental innovations coming […]
Accommodating employees at work who have physical disabilities that challenge them daily may be an obvious step, but employers need to remember that employees with episodic disabilities (both physical and mental) need to be accommodated, too. And it’s not difficult to do. An episodic disability is marked by unpredictable periods and degrees of wellness, explained […]