A fantastic report on the Drug Spend in Canada is out by CIHI

NON-CGIB Events you MUST Attend:

Our New “Using Hybrid Plans to Control Costs” Seminar – May 9 & 14, 2013

AGIAC 2013 – Arete Group Insurance Advisor Conference – May 5, 2013

2013 Canada Sales Congress – May 22, 2013

Nelson Johnson Memorial Golf Invitational 2013 – August 8, 2013

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A fantastic report on the Drug Spend in Canada is out by CIHI.  A few interesting notes about trends are listed below (boldings are mine)…

How much is total drug expenditure in Canada?

• ?  Total drug expenditure is forecast to have reached $32.0 billion in 2011 and $33.0 billion in 2012, representing annual growth rates of 4.0% and 3.3%, respectively.
• ?  The annual rate of change in total drug expenditure is at its lowest since 1996, and average annual growth in the past 10 years has been lower than growth over any other 10-year period dating back to 1985.   
• ?  Total drug expenditure per capita is expected to have reached $927 in 2011 and $947 in 2012, representing annual growth rates of 2.9% and 2.2%, respectively.
• What is the makeup of total drug expenditure in Canada? 

• ?  Expenditure on prescribed drugs is expected to have reached $26.9 billion in 2011 and $27.7 billion in 2012, representing annual growth rates of 3.8% and 3.2%, respectively. 
• What are the sources of finance for prescribed drug spending? 

? In the private sector (which includes private insurers as well as households and individuals), spending on prescribed drugs is forecast to have reached

$15.4 billion in 2012, representing an annual growth rate of 4.1%.

CIHI report on Drug Expenditure in Canada, 1985 to 2012

About Our New “Using Hybrid Plans to Control Costs” Seminar

CLICK TO REGISTER

(1.5 CE Credits)

As an advisor, you know that small and mid-sized businesses are constantly juggling the competing priorities of offering employees more flexible benefits vs. cost control. Hybrid Plans allow you, the advisor, to differentiate yourself from the competition. Advisors selling hybrid plans have found that they:

• Simplify the renewal process
• Maximize their profit per case
• Keep away competition

Rather than offering a fixed traditional benefits plan, a hybrid plan design can achieve specific compensation and budget goals. An effective hybrid plan will allow employers to control the costs of their benefits plan while still providing flexibility for employees. Hybrid plans are designed to be less susceptible to premium inflation and less affected by the volumes of claims submitted.

At this session you will learn:

• How to speak to clients about hybrid plan design
• How to structure a hybrid plan
• How to maximize profit in your benefits business
• How to get started with this immediately

CE Credits Earned: 1.5 Credits

Every participant will receive comprehensive handouts.

Registration Information:

This seminar will be held at:  The Benefits Trust (Boardroom) 3800 Steeles Ave. West, Suite #102W, Vaughan, Ontario, L4L 4G9.

Session #1

Date: Thursday, May 9th, 2013
Registration and Refreshments: 10:15am
Seminar: 10:30am-Noon

Session #2

Date: Tuesday, May 14th, 2013
Registration and Refreshments: 10:15am
Seminar: 10:30am-Noon

Seating is limited

REGISTER ONLINE AT:

http://thebenefitstrust.com/using-hybrid-plans-to-control-costs/

Cheers,

Robert J. Crowder  CLU, GBA

President, The Benefits Trust

www.thebenefitstrust.com

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The 3rd Annual AGIAC™ is just around the corner!

Toronto – May 7, 2013

Don’t miss out on this excellent educational opportunity.

Reserve your seat today!

Visa and Mastercard payments are accepted.

The AGIAC™ will help you take your group business from good to great with sessions on timely industry-related topics

SESSIONS INCLUDE:

The Emerging Role of Pharmacies

Catherine McCann (Calgary) cvmccann & associates

Miguel Lopez-Dee (Vancouver) Canadian Pharmacists Association

Peter Zawadzki (Toronto) Pharmasave

Cost Effective Disability Management

Maria Vandenhurk, Banyan Work Health Solutions

Legal Issues for Advisors and Employers

Jim Bullock, Expert Witness

Keynote Speaker

Jim Clemmer, Clemmer Group

 WHO’S INVITED?

Group Insurance Advisors

Third Party Administrators

Insurance company representatives

To register for the AGIAC™, click on the city and date above or visit our website at www.aretehr.com/conferences

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2013 CANADA SALES CONGRESS – May 22, 2013

Benefit from the most impressive roster of speakers in the history of Canadian life insurance sales!

The Canada Sales Congress is fast approaching! Take advantage by registering for this exceptional event and by inviting your business partners and colleagues to hear the Sales Masters.  The ideas and the knowledge that they will gain, as well as the chance to network with industry colleagues, will certainly be of value.

Change your life and your business with theCanada Sales Congress. Our All-Canadian, All-Masters, All-Advisor line-up guarantees you’ll get more top business development ideas than anywhere else.

http://www.canadasalescongress.ca/

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Nelson Johnson Memorial Golf Invitational 2013

AKA ” The UnOfficial CGIB Golf Tournament”

Details and Registration at the link below

http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e7a1gwm73d50d2e1&llr=erdjsljab

Emerging Trends in Health Benefit Management Monday, April 15th, 2013

Join us and your fellow Group Benefit Advisors on Tuesday, May 7  for the 3rd annual AGIAC

2013 Canada Sales Congress – May 22, 2013  canadasalescongress.ca for more details

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 From Good to Great

Join us and your fellow Group Benefit Advisors on Tuesday, May 7, 2013, at The Old Mill Inn, Toronto, ON for the 3rd annual AGIAC!  Our informative workshops, presented by recognized group insurance industry experts, are CE-accredited and will provide you with the latest information to increase your knowledge of industry issues and tools to help deal with them.

Workshops

Emerging Role of Pharmacies

Pharmacy is a major part of the health industry and pharmacists roles are changing across the country.  We will discuss how these roles are changing, how dialogues can be opened to improve health outcomes and provide some practical, take-away tips on how to help your clients manage claim costs.

Speaker: Peter Zawadzki (bio), Professional Affairs Executive, Pharmasave National (website)

Cost Effective Disability Management – Fresh Strategies for the Changing Challenge

Hear about the latest disability management strategies designed to favorably impact your clients’ absence costs.  Investing time and resources on the right claims, at the right time with the right tools can make a huge difference.  We will highlight the use of predictive tools for early flagging. Case studies will be used to demonstrate the hidden potential and ROI.

Speaker: Maria Vandenhurk (bio), CEO/COO, Banyan Work Health Solutions (website)

Legal Issues for Advisors and Employers

Session description coming soon.

Speaker: Jim Bullock (bio), expert witness (LinkedIn page)

Keynote Address

Taking your business from good to great isn’t just about having the latest knowledge in the industry, it’s about knowing what to do with that knowledge once you’ve got it. Change is a constant and running a business in our ever-changing world can be challenging.  Jim Clemmer, a leading international practitioner of personal, team and organizational performance will show you how to Grow, and Lead, at the Speed of Change.

Speaker: Jim Clemmer (bio), Leadership/culture development speaker at The Clemmer Group (website)

Agenda details are being finalized, however….our day will begin at 8:00 a.m. and end at 4:00 p.m. 

  Register Now »  

Arete HR Conference Page

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AGENDA
Emerging Trends in Health Benefit Management Monday, April 15th, 2013

LOCATION: MANULIFE FINANCIAL

International Rooms A, B & C (Main Floor)
200 Bloor Street East, Toronto Application has been made for CE Credits (416) 926-0100 (Switchboard)

(There is limited parking for 200 Bloor. Enter the parking lot at the lights at Jarvis & Bloor (north side of Bloor). It is advised that you park on the UPPER visitor levels of the parking garage. From there, walk straight toward the building and you will come to a walkway. Follow the walkway (past the gardens) to the Rotunda Entrance. Do not go to the front of the building as you cannot access the building there. You MUST check in at the security desk.)

If the lot is full, there is additional surface parking available on the corner of Bloor and Church St. or the parkade off Bloor near Yonge Street (the Bay and Mariott Hotel). Subway access from Yonge and Bloor (exit through the Bay on the North- East corner)

Call Marlene Tsukada
On behalf of GIPC
416-535-5445 ext. 5
marlene.tsukada@markcap.com

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Hot Notes is a FREE monthly e-newsletter for anybody in the life and health insurance industry.

BENEFITS BREAKFAST CLUB  -  Mandatory Drug Plans: The Opportunities and Challenges

Appraisal of Ontario’s Universal Influenza Immunization Program: A Cost-Utility Analysis

TBT 101 Seminar  -  designed to give professional advisors a grounding in ASO solutions

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Hot Notes is a FREE monthly e-newsletter for underwriters, actuaries, medical directors, claims analysts, brokers, service providers – just about anybody in the life and health insurance industry who wants to read it.

Each issue provides over 20 pages of need-to-know information on all aspects of mortality and morbidity risk management. The first section covers events, new developments and tips on items published around the industry. This core content includes commentaries on recently published articles in the world medical literature, all viewed from the angle of insurability implications. The second section contains items on health habits, humour, and even movies, to round it out.

The Table of Contents never fails to have 25+ entries, so there is a lot of excellent content for underwriting professionals and peers – for free.

 http://www.hankgeorgeinc.com/HotNotes

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BENEFITS BREAKFAST CLUB SOUTHERN ONTARIO

Moving to Mandatory Drug Plans: The Opportunities and Challenges

DATE: 21 Feb 2013     8:00am – 10:30am

Hilton Garden Inn,    2774 South Sheridan Way, Oakville, ON  L6J 7T4

At this session we will explore the opportunities and challenges of managing drug reimbursement in a mandatory generic drug plan environment, and the impact on stakeholders and plan members. Here are some of the questions our presenters will be asked to explore:

Why the move to mandatory generic plans?

How much will this change save in real terms?

Should exceptions be allowed, and if so when?

What is the process for exceptions and is it the same between carriers?

Will pharmacists’ jobs be easier or more challenging?

How will this impact plan members and plan sponsors?

Join us as we attempt to answer some of the questions around our changing reimbursement environment with our industry experts. More details will follow in our next mailout.

 http://www.connexhc.com/index.php?option=com_registrationpro&view=event&Itemid=164&did=15

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Economic Appraisal of Ontario’s Universal Influenza Immunization Program: A Cost-Utility Analysis

 http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1000256

A great research paper that came out in 2010 that shows the importance of getting flu shots.  In short…  Ontario’s Universal Influenza Immunization Program prevented;

111 deaths,and was estimated to prevent 786 influenza-related hospitalizations,  7,745 influenza-related Emergency room visits, 30,306 Doctor office visits per season.

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About The TBT 101 Seminar

This seminar is designed to give professional advisors a solid grounding in ASO solutions and the comprehensive suite of products and services offered by The Benefits Trust.  Attend this session to gain a more detailed understanding of ASO plans, working with TPAs, and strategies for winning more business by differentiating against traditional plan advisors.

• How advisors can work with a Third Party Adminimistrator
• How Budgeted ASO plans work compared to traditional plans
• How to implement strategic plan design
• Services provided by The Benefits Trust

CE Credits Earned: 1.5 Credits    Every participant will receive comprehensive handouts.

Registration Information:

This seminar will be held at:

The Benefits Trust (Boardroom)

3800 Steeles Ave. West, Suite #102W, Vaughan, Ontario, L4L 4G9.

Upcoming Sessions

Date: Thursday, February 7th, 2013
Registration and Refreshments: 10:15am
Seminar: 10:30am-Noon

Date: Thursday, March 7th, 2013
Registration and Refreshments: 10:15am
Seminar: 10:30am-Noon

Seating is limited 

REGISTER ONLINE AT:     http://thebenefitstrust.com/register-for-tbt-101/

will take place at Manulife Financial, 200 Bloor Street East, on Monday April 15^th, 2013 at 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Please check out our first GIPC Newsletter including highlights of our 2012 event!

?http://gipc.ca/Files/NEWSLETTERS/GIPC%20Newsletter_final.pdf

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BENEFITS BREAKFAST CLUB SOUTHERN ONTARIO

http://www.connexhc.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=43&Itemid=251

This morning meeting series was developed by Denise Balch almost 20 years ago. Sessions are held in Mississauga, Markham, Oakville, and Kitchener, and focus on topics that affect employee health and employee benefit plans. Attendees include plan sponsor representatives, as well as representatives from the insurance industry, pharmacy, pharmaceuticals and pharmacy benefit managers. All with an interest in employee health and benefits are welcome to attend, including plan sponsors. Continued education credits are offered to licensed plan advisors upon request.

LIST OF EVENTS – BBC SOUTHERN ONTARIO

Moving to Mandatory Drug Plans: The Opportunities and Challenges

DATE: 21 Feb 2013     Hilton Garden Inn, Oakville, ON

Challenges of Industry Solutions to Catastrophic Coverage

DATE: 28 Mar 2013     Hilton Garden Inn, Cambridge, ON

The Business Case for Generics

DATE: 04 Apr 2013     Hilton Garden Inn, Thornhill, ON

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April 29-30, 2013?   The Marriott Eaton Centre, Toronto

Benefits Canada is proud to present details of the 2013 Benefits & Pension Summit (BPS). Insightful and educational presentations, case studies and in-depth panel discussions enable this exceptional Summit to provide delegates with the information they need to reduce costs, create solutions, improve the workforce and manage risks. Three separate tracks enable you to customize the BPS experience providing your specialized interest an arena to convene. This event sells out annually. Register early to avoid disappointment.

CONFERENCE RATES:     Early Bird Price: $495 + HST (until March 30)     Regular Price: $695 + HST

This Summit is designed for senior-level personnel within plan sponsor organizations in both the public and private sectors to discuss common challenges and acquire solutions.This event will feature:

?    Respected industry authorities who will provide actionable tips for you to use in your own organization

?    Four conference streams (Group Benefits, DB, DC and Advisor*) that allow you to tailor your conference experience according to your areas of interest

?    Numerous networking opportunities with hundreds of your industry peers

?    An agenda full of practical, actionable tools that you can apply directly to your position.??*New for 2013: This special FREE afternoon provides a forum for small businesses to gather valuable insight from industry thought leaders on developments in the design and delivery of group benefits and retirement programs for growing businesses. REGISTER AT:http://www.regonline.com/bps2013_advisors

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