Home Kelsey Rolfe

Amid a wave of frank and open discussions about women’s health, more plan sponsors are beginning to review their benefits and human resources policies with an eye to providing better support. It’s something that a group of health-care experts, speaking during a panel discussion at Benefits Canada’s 2024 Chronic Disease at Work conference in February, […]

  • March 11, 2024 March 5, 2024
  • 08:00

After her husband Mike Kessler was diagnosed with mild Alzheimer’s disease in 2021, Karen Kessler admitted she would hover around him. The Windsor, Ont. couple implemented many strategies in place to manage Mike’s diagnosis, and Karen remembers believing he would need plenty of help. “I was doing everything, I was carrying the load, and quite […]

  • March 11, 2024 March 5, 2024
  • 07:58

Employees with pulmonary arterial hypertension can experience significant impacts to their quality of life and workplace experience, said John Granton, a respirologist with the University Health Network in Toronto, during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2024 Chronic Disease at Work conference in February. Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a very rare condition, affecting less than 10,000 Canadians. It’s […]

  • March 11, 2024 March 5, 2024
  • 07:57

With the increased availability of treatments for inflammatory bowel disease, patients can achieve longer periods of remission, said Vipul Jairath, a gastroenterologist at the London Health Sciences Centre and professor of medicine at Western University, during Benefits Canada’s 2024 Chronic Disease at Work conference in February. IBD involves an underlying pathological process that creates inflammation […]

  • March 11, 2024 March 5, 2024
  • 07:56

After the simultaneous sell-off of both equities and bonds in the first half of 2022, many defined benefit pension plan sponsors were forced to “pay much more attention to the liquidity profiles of their portfolios” and manage risk by implementing a temporary policy reprieve, halting new investment activity or selling assets in the secondary market, […]

  • January 24, 2024 January 22, 2024
  • 07:56

With historic perceptions of emerging markets and equities no longer matching reality, institutional investors have the opportunity to scoop up good companies at low valuations, said Kamil Dimmich, portfolio manager for the emerging markets equity strategy at Pacific North of South Capital, during the Canadian Investment Review’s 2023 Defined Benefit Investment Forum in December. While he […]

  • January 24, 2024 January 19, 2024
  • 07:55

Pharmacists are now uniquely positioned to support Canadians at a time when the public health-care system is stretched thin, creating significant barriers for people looking to access care, said Dr. Jennifer Poh, senior director of drug plan solutions at Health Solutions by Shoppers, during Benefits Canada’s 2023 Face to Face Drug Plan Management Forum in […]

  • January 22, 2024 January 31, 2024
  • 07:58

With chronic conditions growing in prevalence among plan members, plan sponsors have their work cut out for them in designing benefits plans that provide adequate health support and employee satisfaction while also being cost effective, said Marie-Hélène Dugal, manager of pharmacy benefit strategy for Medavie Blue Cross, during Benefits Canada’s 2023 Face to Face Drug […]

  • January 22, 2024 January 18, 2024
  • 07:56

While medications for three interconnected chronic conditions — cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity — represent a growing proportion of employers’ drug spend, there’s plenty that can be done to help employees’ slow the progression of these conditions while managing drug plan costs, said Joyce Wong, director of clinical services at Express Scripts Canada, during Benefits […]

  • January 22, 2024 January 18, 2024
  • 07:55

Despite the safety and efficacy of biosimilars — and the potential cost savings they offer — uptake among private payers has been low historically and is only starting to gain steam, said Neda Nasseri, pharmacist and private payer product director at Desjardins Insurance, during Benefits Canada’s 2023 Face to Face Drug Plan Management Forum in December. The insurer first developed […]

  • January 22, 2024 January 22, 2024
  • 07:54