Keyword: rare diseases

24 results found

A recent report by the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board shows increased growth for private drug plan costs but promising pharmaceutical innovation, says Joe Farago, executive director of private payers and investment at Innovative Medicines Canada. The report also found the number of new medicines launched in Canada was higher than the median for Organisation for […]

  • By: Sadie Janes
  • September 20, 2023 September 20, 2023
  • 09:00
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By focusing on cancer as part of a wider chronic disease management strategy, employers can support employee health while reducing benefits costs, said Chris Bonnett, founder and principal at H3 Consulting, during a webinar hosted by the Canadian Pension and Benefits Institute. While long-term disability plans pay out, on average, $3,500 per month, cancer patients […]

As the coronavirus pandemic enters its fourth year, it’s perhaps unsurprising that the health crisis has taken its toll on employee mental health. Scotiabank saw a notable rise in claims for mental-health drugs in 2022, says Ayman Alvi, the bank’s vice-president of global pension and benefits, noting the increased use of these medications aligns with […]

Running for more than 17 years, Benefits Canada‘s Face to Face Drug Plan Management Forum is the industry’s most popular drug benefits conference. In 2022, the event returned to a face-to-face format at the Sheraton Centre in Toronto on Dec. 6. Attendees learned about fresh drug plan design insights, including a new drug launch panel […]

About a million Canadians are impacted by rare diseases, which disproportionately affect younger patients — 70 per cent start in childhood and, sadly, half of these children won’t reach adulthood, said Suzanne Lepage, a private health plan strategist, during a session supported by Alexion Pharmaceuticals at Benefits Canada‘s 2022 Face to Face Drug Plan Management Forum […]

Living with a rare chronic disease while also managing an employer-sponsored benefits plan provides Chris MacLeod with a unique perspective. During a session supported by Vertex Pharmaceuticals at Benefits Canada’s 2022 Face to Face Drug Plan Management Forum in Toronto in December, MacLeod, the founding partner at Cambridge LLP, said he was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis […]

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An article on the strike by Ontario education workers was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. CUPE’s Ontario education workers striking for extended benefits, wage increases 2. Stellantis, Unifor agreement includes pension and retirement gains 3. Sounding Board: How employers can better support employees […]

  • By: Staff
  • November 11, 2022 November 11, 2022
  • 09:00
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Imagine that a few pills a day could transform an employee’s life — that they could get back to work, perform better, have fewer sick days, be more present and avoid continuously deteriorating health. Now, what if this life-changing medicine is for a rare disease that isn’t covered under the employee’s benefits plan because of […]

Amid plans by the federal government to introduce national dental and pharmacare programs, key stakeholders in the private payer health-care sector should highlight the value of private health plans in Canada, according to a panel during a webinar by the Group Insurance Pharmaceutical Committee last week. In March, the Liberal Party and the New Democratic […]

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In 2020, Canada Life Assurance Co. saw a decrease in the number of benefits plan members making a drug claim, though the costs of those claims were higher, according to Barb Martinez, the insurer’s national practice leader in drug solutions, speaking during a session at Benefits Canada‘s Face to Face in Drug Plan Management Forum […]