An article announcing the finalists in Benefits Canada‘s 2023 Workplace Benefits Awards was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Who are the finalists of the 2023 Workplace Benefits Awards? 2. How employers can help prevent post-vacation burnout 3. AI tools helping insurers manage plan costs by […]
Last year, a benefits plan member in British Columbia was shocked when his insurance provider rejected an orthotics claim because the prescriber was a nurse practitioner rather than a “physician.” In the story, reported by the Victoria, B.C.-based Times Colonist, the chief executive officer of Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of B.C. said it wasn’t the […]
Canada’s pension de-risking market saw a record-breaking year in 2022, with $7.8 billion in transferred liabilities and 155 transactions, according to a new report by Eckler Ltd. Mary Kate Archibald, pension principal at the consultancy, says the increase in the total sum for the year wasn’t a surprise due to the interest rate environment. To […]
An increase in the protection limit for defined benefit pension plan members’ assets invested in annuities is making it easier for plan sponsors to de-risk, says Mary Kate Archibald, a principal at Eckler Ltd. Assuris, the not-for-profit organization that protects a portion of retirement benefits from annuities in the event of an insurer’s insolvency, now covers up to $5,000 […]
Jessica Tincopa may leave the photography business she spent 14 years building for one reason — to find coverage for fertility treatment. After six miscarriages, Tincopa and her husband started saving for in vitro fertilization, which can cost more than US$20,000. But the coronavirus pandemic wiped out their savings and they can’t find coverage for IVF in their state’s health insurance marketplace. So the California couple is saving again and […]
With Yukon implementing a transitioning policy on April 3 to expand the use of biosimilar medicines in its public drug plan, it’s important for benefits plan sponsors that create a similar policy for their workplace plans to be clear in their communication and education with employees. “It’s never easy to switch a medication, especially when […]
As technology advances and plan members’ needs become more diverse, the relationship between benefits plan sponsors and providers is adapting to fit these changes. Sarah Beech, chief executive officer of benefits and consulting at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., believes the trend of employees wanting more from their employers is the starting point for this […]
The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association will now be working with participating insurers to collaborate on joint investigations into suspected benefits fraud schemes. This initiative builds on last year’s launch of a CLHIA-supported program that uses advanced artificial intelligence to identify fraudulent activity across a vast industry pool of claims data. “We’ve been working […]
RSA U.K. Pension Trustees, a subsidiary of Intact Financial Corp., is de-risking roughly £6.5 billion in U.K. defined benefit pension liabilities with an annuity buy-in. The deal, which will be completed with Pension Insurance Corp., will transfer all remaining economic and demographic risks associated with the Royal Insurance Group Pension Scheme and the Sal Pension Scheme, […]
Changes to Ontario’s policy on the use of biosimilars in its public drug plan could result in savings for private benefits plans if they choose to follow the provincial model, says Theresa Tran, a principal in group benefits at Eckler Ltd. Starting March 31, Ontario Drug Benefit recipients who are on an originator biologic will […]