National dental benefits, unemployment insurance, pharmacare, a national strategy for drugs for rare diseases—these are among the policy discussions that affect private group insurance plans, yet plan sponsors rarely have a seat at the table. Benefits Alliance (BA) is...
As of December 18, 2022, employees can collect sickness benefits from Canada’s Employment Insurance (EI) plan for an additional 11 weeks, bringing the total period of coverage to 26 weeks (up from 15 weeks). That sounds like good news for both employees and...
The federal government has formally begun the process of creating the Canadian Dental Care Program (CDCP) by 2025; however, it’s not to be confused with the Canada Dental Benefit (CDB) that took effect on December 1, 2022. “We have an interim measure right now for...
The federal government established the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) in 1987 with a mandate to protect Canadian consumers from excessive prices for patented medicines. Many stakeholders consider these 1987 regulations outdated. As well, the list prices...
The Ontario government is making changes to its OHIP+ Children and Youth Pharmacare program, as you know. The changes affect Ontario residents aged 24 and under, as follows: Those with prescription drug coverage under a private plan will access prescribed...
A group benefits plan, and/or retirement savings plan, can be integrated with benefits paid by either your Provincial or the Federal arm of government. It is important to understand what these government benefits are and how they impact your employee benefits plan...
