A former Atlas Copco Canada Inc. manager sentenced to jail time for his part in a benefits kickback scheme now faces a $20-million bill from his former employer after the multinational industrial giant won a civil judgment against him. Dirk Plate, a one-time manager of Atlas Copco’s construction and mining division at its Canadian base in […]
Universal pharmacare is an “overly simplistic” solution that risks cutting access to drugs, says a senior executive at one of Canada’s largest pharmaceutical companies. “It sounds like a lovely solution,” Julia Brown, vice-president of government affairs and market access at Janssen Inc., told the audience at Benefits Canada’s 2017 Face-to-Face Drug Plan Management Forum. But […]
Employers will see private drug plan costs rise by about six per cent annually over the next five years, according to a prediction by a health-care research company. Brad Millson, principal of health access and outcomes at IQVIA, presented the results of his firm’s 2017-21 forecast, produced in partnership with Innovative Medicines Canada, at Benefits […]
Employers should review their drug plans annually to make sure they’re getting value for money, according to a speaker at the recent Face to Face Drug Plan Management forum. “It’s good drug plan management hygiene,” said Kim MacFarlane, assistant vice-president of group benefit product at Manulife Financial Corp. Even if the unwieldy nature of drug […]
From biosimilars to product listing agreements, a panel of experts tackled some of the hottest topics in drug plan management at the Face to Face Drug Plan Management forum on Dec. 14. Barbara Martinez, who heads up the national drug benefits solutions practice at the Great-West Life Assurance Co., addressed the question of biosimilars during […]
Employers in search of simpler retirement products for their workers are looking to group registered retirement savings plans and deferred profit-sharing plans as a solution, say experts at capital accumulation plan providers. Benefits Canada’s 2017 CAP Suppliers Report shows that the number of plan sponsors offering DPSPs has ballooned by 112 per cent over the past decade, from 3,539 […]
With many of its plan members based in Alberta, the manager of Mercon Benefits Services was hoping to stay ahead of longer-term issues resulting from a turbulent provincial economy when she decided to take a deeper dive into projected benefits costs in 2015. In the short term, the outlook appeared relatively rosy, with plan costs forecast to […]
Plan sponsors should focus on the entry and exit points of their defined contribution pension plans as the world grapples with an era of lower returns, according to a group of industry leaders. Speaking during a panel discussion on the industry’s future prospects and trends during Benefits Canada’s Defined Contribution Investment Forum in Toronto earlier […]
Amid continued uncertainty, investors are branching out from the traditional Canadian bond market in search of yield and diversification. Although two consecutive interest rate hikes by the Bank of Canada this year prompted a spike in yields for short-term bonds, Kathrin Forrest, portfolio manager at Sun Life Global Investments Canada Inc., said the move, which […]
Technology will be the key to helping individuals make better retirement decisions in a world dominated by defined contribution pensions. That was a key message delivered by Chip Castille, the managing director of BlackRock Inc.’s global retirement strategy group, during a session at the 2017 Defined Contribution Investment Forum. He told the audience that the […]