Four months ago, my daughter woke up with a stye in one eye. While my 10-year-old was handling her infection like a champ, I wasn’t. All I could think was, “I need to get her to a doctor as fast as humanly possible.” But it had been almost two years since we visited her physician’s […]
In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, people found different ways of coping, from baking sourdough bread to clapping for health-care heroes to drinking ‘quarantinis’ during Zoom happy hours. While the baking, clapping and drinking has tapered off for many, some employees have struggled with substance use as the pandemic drags on. But many […]
Endy’s director of people and culture discusses the importance of the employee experience; diversity, equity and inclusion commitments; and exploring Toronto. Q: What top challenges do you face in your role? A: Working in a remote environment is difficult at times for our employees and the extended isolation can take a toll on their physical […]
Only half (51 per cent) of U.S. employees believe the benefits and rewards they receive from their employer are distinctive from what they’d receive from another employer, according to a new survey by tax and advisory firm Grant Thornton LLP. The survey, which polled more than 5,000 full-time employees, also found 24 per cent of […]
With so many employees returning to the office, the Ontario Association of Social Workers is calling on employers to introduce stand-alone mental-health coverage in their group benefits plans worth a minimum of $1,500 per employee. A recent survey conducted by Leger for the OASW and polling 1,000 respondents found more than half (52 per cent) said cost was the […]
A story about the federal government considering whether to include booster shots in the next version of the coronavirus vaccine mandate for workers was the most read story of the week on BenefitsCanada.com. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: Feds consider definition of ‘fully vaccinated’ in review of federal worker mandate […]
The federal government’s 2022 budget, which set out $56 billion in new spending on Thursday, has a few offerings that could impact employers and employees. Dental-care program, pharmacare The budget confirmed the government’s commitment to rolling out a national dental-care program, which was announced in March, by specifying a $5.3-billion investment in its implementation. It also […]
Changes to Quebec’s policy on the use of biosimilars in its public drug plan could result in savings for private benefits plans, says one expert. On April 13, 2022, the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec will delist certain biologic drugs from its formulary, requiring patients covered by the plan to switch to a biosimilar […]
While the overall private drug plan spend per member increased by 4.3 per cent in 2021, fewer plan members submitted claims and the per-claimant cost grew, according to Express Scripts Canada’s latest prescription drug trends report. Specifically, the percentage of plan members that made a claim decreased by 0.3 per cent last year while spend […]
With two of Ontario’s government parties promising to develop portable benefits plans, it’s important to remember that plan sponsors need the freedom to design and price their benefits packages, as well as stability in terms of government processes, says one expert. “Plan sponsors are already delivering programs to a large proportion of the workforce and […]