One size no longer fits all and employees are demanding benefits that cater to their unique needs. Twenty years ago most organizations provided traditional benefits programs. Aside from the ability to purchase some optional life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance, these programs provided virtually no choice for employees to tailor their coverage needs.
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has changed its position on the tax implications of employee bonuses directed to healthcare spending accounts (HCSAs). Employers who have or are considering HCSAs need to understand the significant change and how it affects their plans.
The debate between the provinces and the feds about healthcare funding rages on. The question of who owns what remains at the core of the debate, but one undeniable truth underlies the discussion: We—as Canadians—cannot afford our current healthcare funding commitments.
With any financial product, a lack of industry standardization often causes confusion within the marketplace. No product within the benefits market today could be more subject to such confusion than the healthcare spending account (HCSA).
Many of today’s employees work in an environment where companies fight to hire the best. In its February 2010 review of hiring trends, HRinfodesk.com (a site dedicated to Canadian payroll and employment law) reported that one significant trend is a move to recruit top talent to replace low performers. Companies, it said, “will need to […]
Traditional group benefits programs are facing unsustainable cost pressures; healthcare costs alone are expected to double in the next five years, based on information included in the 2010 Canadian Health Care Trend Survey Results by Buck Consultants. There are many contributors to the cost pressures, including cost inflation, changes in prescription drug costs and usage, […]
If you were designing the ideal benefit, you’d probably want it to appeal to employees, offer plan sponsor funding and be tax-effective, flexible and easy to administer. However, you might be surprised to learn that such a benefit already exists: spending accounts (SAs) offer all of this—and more. SAs have been around for a number […]
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 […]
With the prevalence of healthcare spending accounts (HCSAs) on the rise, employees who are able to take advantage of coordinating health and dental benefits with a spouse are asking for clarification as to where they should submit their claims for payment, explains a recent News & Views from Morneau Shepell. The Canadian Life and Health […]
Reducing healthcare costs is the age-old question that plan sponsors have been seeking the answer to. Are defined contribution (DC) benefits the answer? At the recent Human Resources Professionals Association conference in Toronto, Michael Trowell, assistant vice-president of Comprehensive Benefits Solutions Ltd., gave insight into just where this area of the market is headed because, […]