Great-West Life Assurance Co. has partnered with digital health-care provider Dialogue to offer its virtual health-care platform as part of its group benefits plans. The platform, which can be accessed through a mobile app or website, is open to employers in Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec. The insurer says the impetus for the pilot was the need […]
As Canada’s total health spend is expected to reach $242 billion by the end of 2017, the amount spent on drugs is expected to grow at the fastest pace, according to new figures by the Canadian Institute for Health Information. The total projected growth in health spending for 2017 is about four per cent, a slight increase on 2016. Since […]
Challenges and opportunities in the Age of Trump
Once simply considered a dismissive solution to life’s woes, “just walk it off” can become a message with a proactive purpose, as well as a way to resolve conflict in the workplace. A benefit to both physical and mental health, walking is ideal for any fitness and commitment level. Employers would be wise to promote […]
A new report on income security in Ontario is recommending that the provincial government expand the provision of essential health benefits to all low-income people and modernize income and asset rules to ensure people can save for the future, according to a new report by the income security reform working groups. A substantial component of Ontario’s […]
High-price drugs accounted for 40 per cent of patented drug sales in 2016, compared to 7.6 per cent in 2006, according to the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board’s 2016 annual report. The report, which was tabled by Minister of Health Ginette Petitpas Taylor last week, found the number of medicines in Canada with an annual […]
Earlier this month, Health Canada did some substantial editing to its website, removing all references to a planned regulatory framework for orphan drugs. Orphan drugs are medications that treat rare diseases. The framework was an effort to help increase their availability for patients and foster their development by companies and researchers. Currently, Canada is one of the […]
With more than 400 programs created over the past decade, Carleton University’s proactive approach to health and wellness helped it earn the inaugural Sanofi Canada Wellness Pioneer award at Benefits Canada’s 2017 Workplace Benefits Awards in Toronto on Oct. 12. The new award recognizes an organization that has developed an innovative and effective long-term health or […]
The Co-operators Group Ltd.’s revamped mental-health program, including an online forum for employees, was central to its win in the category at Benefits Canada’s 2017 Workplace Benefits Awards in Toronto on Oct. 12. Last year, the company launched a mental-health strategy to both support employees struggling with psychological problems and to promote good mental health […]
While it might come as a surprise to some plan members, what may seem like a freebie or giveaway with the purchase of a medical device or service can actually count as benefits abuse. And in some case, offering incentives to customers will get a provider delisted by an insurance company. This week, for example, Shelley […]