The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association has published a guide to help health-care providers and patients understand private health insurance. The guide, released during financial literacy month, was produced with the Extended Healthcare Professionals Coalition, a group that represents medical professionals, including psychologists, physiotherapists, audiologists, occupational therapists, chiropractors and pharmacists, among others. It’s geared toward […]
The majority (80 per cent) of working Canadians reported their overall well-being would improve if their employer offered a personalized wellness program customized to their specific wellness and health-related interests and goals, according to a new survey by RBC Insurance. If they were offered this type of program, survey respondents also said they’d see improvements […]
While just half (49 per cent) of plan members said changes were made to their benefits plan in the past two years, 72 per cent of plan sponsors reported they made changes, according to the 2019 Sanofi Canada health-care survey. More than half (51 per cent) of members said they didn’t know of any changes to their […]
Digital employee health benefits platform League Inc. is now offering its employees and their spouses or common-law partners $5,000 per lifetime toward in vitro fertilization or other similar fertility treatment. According to Kim Tabac, League’s chief people officer, the startup began offering the IVF benefit in the last nine months, in response to interest from […]
Employers in Ontario could see their dental coverage spending increase this year, due to an average 4.19 per cent hike in the Ontario Dental Association’s suggested dental fees for 2019. According to the association’s president David Stevenson, this year’s average increase primarily stems from updates to infection prevention and control standards. The changes, implemented in 2017, […]
In June 2017, Doctors Without Borders added lifestyle and health-care spending accounts to its traditional benefits plan. The organization still provides insurance, drug coverage of up to $100,000 and extended health benefits, including hospital and dental expenses. But now it also provides permanent, full-time employees with $2,500 for other health-care services and $250 for wellness […]
While traditional health-care plans remain the most common form of employer offerings, 66 per cent of Canadian organizations are now providing health-care spending accounts, according to a new survey by the Conference Board of Canada. “As Canadian employers look to appeal to a multi-generational workforce, flexibility and choice are the key watchwords for health and wellness benefits,” said […]
While a new collective agreement negotiated between the British Columbia Nurses’ Union and the Health Employers Association of B.C. won’t bring significant changes, the round of negotiations did raise an issue with paramedical benefits, specifically the amount spent on massages. Currently, nurses in the province have unlimited dollars to spend on massages, which are 100 per cent paid […]
As plan sponsors and private payers begin integrating medical cannabis coverage into benefits plans, it’s crucial they account for the dynamic nature of the industry and remain adaptable to anticipated changes around distribution and product innovation. Although medical cannabis isn’t new, current offerings are just a first step, said Matt Gaudry, director of product support and management at […]
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 […]