This is a list of current, relevant and important links that you need to know about. This list is updated every two weeks when we send out our exclusive members only newsletter. Want the rest of the story? Sign-up today
I love receiving the CGIB News and Events email! It highlights so many important and relevant topics regarding the group benefits industry! My favourite section is the MUST READS. The more we know, the more value we bring to our clients!
Lindsay Gibson, Regional Director – Benefits By Design
March 15, 2019 NEWS
- Amendment to Ontario Regulation 201/96 made under the Ontario Drug Benefit Act to make changes to
Ontario Drug Benefit Program coverage for children and youth aged 24 years and under (OHIP+)
- Crooked pharmacists are pocketing millions intended to help Ontario’s neediest
- High-cost medicines dominate Canada’s drug landscape: PMPRB
- Consumers do not want technology to replace human financial advisors, says survey
- Close to half of EI sickness benefits recipients off work longer than help lasts
- Termination Clause Update: New Developments Concerning Benefit Continuation And Just Cause Language
- ‘She didn’t get insurance’: Winnipeg family left with massive bill after daughter dies on vacation
- When You Become Dependent On Independent Contractors: The Risk To Employers
- Advisory Council makes preliminary recommendations on National Pharmacare
- Advocates lobbying for government coverage have pharma ties
- Canada no free-rider in drug pricing, says CD Howe
- Employers urged to prepare for incoming EI parental sharing benefit
- Expert panel on pharmacare suggests harmonized national drug formulary
March 1, 2019 NEWS
- New FINTRAC Compliance Guidance
- Ontario Court Pushes The Envelope With 30 Month Reasonable Notice Award In Employment Cases
- Independent Or Dependent Contractor? BC Court Finds No Severance Owing To Long Term Service Provider
- FINTRAC Issues New Administrative Monetary Penalties Policy And New Tools In Respect Of Compliance And Its Examination Process
- Father in eye of Vancouver measles storm cites autism fears
- High-cost treatments dominate new drug landscape, says report
- Great-West Life launches benefits solution for small employers
- A look at extended parental benefits one year on
- The value-added proposition of group benefits MGAs and TPAs
- Cannabis prescriptions are eligible medical expense, CRA confirms
- Details of medical expenses
- GWL launches first group direct to consumer web based sales
What an awesome e-mail! I literally just received EVERYTHING I need to know on a Monday morning in a nicely wrapped e-mail. Thank you.
Melanie Elliott, Regional Director – BBD
February 15, 2019 NEWS
- Evolving trends in absence and disability management
- Great POST – Taking a Stand for Independent Advice
- Canada’s growing gig workforce highlights need for portable benefits plan: report
- B.C. nurses’ massage benefits costs up $28M since 2008
- FSRA aims to lighten regulatory burden
- Employers, insurers have role in managing benefits plan sustainability
- Dubious chiropractic claims show need for more scrutiny on paramedical expenses
- How to predict benefits plan spending for January 2020
- Insurance Brokers: Meeting The Standard Of Care
- What are the implications of pharmacare reform for private drug plans?
- How will OHIP+ rollback affect plan sponsors?
- Beware unintended consequences of OHIP+ rollback: CLHIA
- How will 2018’s employment law changes play out for employers in 2019?
- Pharmacare video of interest
- Selling Individual Disability Insurance to Those Who Have Employer Coverage
- Your unique insights mean a robo-advisor just can’t compete
January 15, 2019 NEWS
- Proposed Amendments to Ontario Regulation 201/96 made under the Ontario Drug Benefit Act
- CLHIA’s CEO lays out some of the big industry topics for 2019
- The 5 Things All Great Salespeople Do
- A 2018 roundup of the top legal cases in the benefits industry
- A primer on the group benefits renewal process
- How to write a GOOD checklist
- Can an employee be terminated while on disability?
- Free prescriptions for many children and young adults in Ontario set to end in March
- Don’t fall prey to the cult of wellness
- CLHIA prepares to meet with insurers on G19
- Sounding Board: Industry still neutral on CLHIA’s proposed G19 regime
- Pharmacare: Raising the Bar for Canadians
- How To Protect Your Most Important Asset With Disability Insurance
- British Columbia Law Institute Publishes Report On The Employment Standards Act: Changes To BC Employment Standards Anticipated In 2019
- 2018: THE YEAR IN REVIEW IN EMPLOYMENT LAW
- The secret moves to increase private health care
- Fate of Ontario Drug Benefit could define federal election
- Majority of Canadians agree on single-payer pharmacare system: report
This newsletter saves me hours of personal time. The CGIB Newsletter condenses the news that is pertinent to Group Benefits and to my personal development as a broker all in one easy to place. Thanks! You’ve become my personal RSS Feed!
Debbie Telfer
January 1, 2019 NEWS
- Half of U.S. employers concerned delayed retirement will raise benefits costs: survey
- Can an employee be terminated while on disability?
- Lessons for Canada from pharmacare systems around the world
- Medical insurance fraud widespread, as employees, providers rip off benefit plans
- A primer on the group benefits renewal process
- Clearing the Haze The Impacts of Marijuana in the Workplace
December 15, 2018 NEWS
- A Flexible Benefit Plan Might be the Answer to Your Skyrocketing Adjustments
- Ontario should act cautiously in allowing private label drugs: CLHIA
- Find Your Niche: How to Focus Your Firm’s Effort
- Authorized medical practitioners for the purposes of the medical expense tax credit
- Brand-name pharma firms not meeting R&D commitments: report
- Insurers turn to tech as broker’s role in doubt: KPMG
- 2018: Year Of The Employer? Two (More) Helpful Decisions On Termination Clauses
- Your Employee Has Arrived In Canada On Their Work Permit, Now What?
December 1, 2018 NEWS
- Sounding Board: Dental networks not the answer to reducing dental fees
- Canadians underestimate consequences of health and dental benefits fraud
- Ontario Health tax changes
- It’s time to use your benefits or lose them
- The Basic Principles of Valuation
- Legacy systems are biggest tech challenge among life insurers
- Canada’s outspends most peer countries in healthcare
- 731,000 Canadians borrow money to pay for prescriptions: study
- Legal cases highlight issues around LTD coverage
- Bill 47 update – changes to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 receive Royal Assent
- Private medical clinics win injunction against B.C. government clampdown
- Insurance companies are spying on patients through their sleep apnea machines to make sure they’re using them, and experts warn it’s part of the industry’s playbook to make patients pay more
- Latest G19 updates still allow for conflict of interest
- How to pay for national pharmacare
- Lessons for Canada from pharmacare systems around the world
- This Is A Lawsuit Waiting To Happen: Pre-Litigation Tips
- Ottawa should pay for pharmacare, experts sayMedical trend growth stable but concerning, says report
November 15, 2018 NEWS
- Successful management of speciality drugs requires a multi-pronged approach
- A look at the drivers for curbing rising dental costs
- Medical trend growth stable but concerning, says report
- Canadian life expectancy could follow downward trend in US
- A look at the drivers for curbing rising dental costs
- Canadians underestimate consequences of health and dental benefits fraud
November 1, 2018 NEWS
- How to be a better broker. This is a P&C magazine, but page 30-42 and 47-54 have some great advice for both those that are new in the business and those that have some experience under their belt.
- Private Plan Drug Cost Forecast 2017-2019
- New FSCO Guideline Available
- FSCO releases new guideline on fair treatment of consumers
- Going For Broke(er): A Broker’s Obligation to Disclose the Limits of its Expertise
- Pot legalization creating complex balancing acts in workplace policy
- Provincial plans’ significance lost in pharmacare talk, says Fraser Institute
- TAKING A BITE OUT OF DENTAL COSTS
- What employees need to know about LTD insurance
- Employer medical costs to outpace inflation in 2019, reports Aon
- What employees need to know about LTD insurance
- Bill 47 update – proposed changes to the Employment Standards Act, 2000
- The downside of disclosure, and other tips
- Sun Life proposes national pharmacare modelAlexa, the benefits broker. How adviser
October 15, 2018 NEWS
- Regulators release guidance on fair treatment of insurance customers
- https://www.ccir-ccrra.org/Documents/View/3378
- Alexa, the benefits broker. How advisers can survive the rise of AI
- A pot primer: what you need to know about legal weed
- CGPA slams new NAFTA deal for ‘harmful’ provisions
- Seven Steps to Help You Understand Your Travel Insurance Policy Wording
- Report asks provinces to rethink the growing taxes on insurance premiums
- National Pharmacare consultation: CLHIA says “smart reforms” would build on present system
- https://www.clhia.ca/web/clhia_lp4w_lnd_webstation.nsf/page/1B6F3681BFB12B838525831A004D6A14/$file/CLHIA%20Submission%20to%20Advisory%20Council%20on%20National%20Pharmacare%20EN.pdf
- Final costs for prescription drugs contribute to uneven access, says report
- Canadian pharmacare system must balance access and price issues: CLHIA
- The End Of Bill 148?
- LTD Case Law Update – Fall 2018
- Taxpayers’ advocacy group rep speaks out against pharmacare plan
- Liberals told to build new benefits for ill, unemployed workers
- Impeccable Honesty
- Controlling benefits costs a top concern for HR professionals
- Personal Services Businesses – A Toronto Tax Lawyer Analysis
October 1, 2018 NEWS
- Benefits Alliance Group highlights conflicts of interest in CLHIA’s compensation disclosure guideline
- OmbudService for Life & Health Insurance reports increased volume of complaints
- “FRUSTRATION” FOR EMPLOYEES BUT GOOD NEWS FOR EMPLOYERS IN RECENT ONTARIO COURT DECISION
- Pot legalization’s implications on life and health insurance
- Canada’s ‘dysfunctional’ system of drug coverage not good enough, says study
- Paying the price: Ontario court reminds employers to carefully consider their approach to litigation
- Minimum Wage Increases In Alberta
- Long Term Disability Deadlines, Limitation Periods and Wiles v. Sun Life
- Small business welcomes historic WSIB rate reductions
- Canadian life and health insurance industry showed strong growth in 2017
September 15, 2018 NEWS
- 7 disability insurance myths to stop believingCanadians with rare disorders will be hit by proposed PMRPB changes, warns study
- 10 Key Differences Between Canadian and U.S. Employment Laws
- The Interplay between Workers’ Compensation and the Duty to Accommodate
- New from CADTH: Pharmaceutical Reviews Update
- A look at the benefits of hybrid health plans
- We can make medicine affordable without the damage pharmacare will cause Canadians
- How to Close the Gap to Being Your Best
- Quebecers open to greater private-sector role in healthcare: poll
- The 1-2-3s Of LTD: What You Should Know When Applying For Or Receiving Long-Term Disability Benefits
- THE NEW BC EMPLOYER HEALTH TAX AND ITS INTERSECTION WITH MEDICAL SERVICES PLAN PREMIUM
- Life insurers must strike careful balance between agents and digital
- CONSULTANTS DIRECTORY
- GROUP INSURER DIRECTORY
- Public drug plan spending up 2 per cent in 2016-2017
- Canadian pharmacare faces risk from NAFTA negotiations
- “Timing Isn’t Everything”: Termination shortly after disability-related absences is not necessarily discriminatory
- When a Spouse is not a Spouse
- Public drug plan costs extend rise in 2016-2017: PMPRB
September 1, 2018 NEWS
- 7 disability insurance myths to stop believing
- Majority of Canadians would take advantage of virtual doctor visits: survey
- Private drug plan claims, cost per claimant on the rise, finds new research
- Myriad of health claims suggest cannabis is a panacea for what ails us. But is it?
- Assisted dying regulations to come into force
- CLHIA refutes data in study of rising drug claim costs
- Why brokers should have the company CFO on their radar
- Court allows terminated employee to continue appeal for LTD benefits
- A Guide to Getting the Most Out of Networking Events
- Don’t impose more costs on people or companies for a pharmacare plan, says FCCQ
- High-cost drugs account for 26% of private plan costs in 2017: PMPRB
- A look at how some ASO plan sponsors are impacting premiums
August 15, 2018 NEWS
- Independent Contractors Take Another Step Closer To Employees
- Terminally ill Canadians face new rules in test for speedy CPP disability benefits
- How to introduce yourself so you’ll be unforgettable (in a good way!)
- A look at international risk pooling
- Is nudging biologic patients towards biosimilars a good choice?
- Look and measure before leaping into a workplace wellness program
- Keep prospects engaged with these 8 questions
- Signed, Sealed, Delivered – But Is It Enforceable?
- The Meeting Efficiency Survey
- Physicians share their perspectives on awareness and the impact of drug plan design.
August 1, 2018 NEWS
- Canadian insurers hesitate in providing medical pot coverage
- Tax hike inevitable if Canada wants national pharmacare, former PBO warns
- Setting Up Shop In Canada? What U.S. Employers Need To Know About Canadian Employment Law (Video)
- Can LTD Benefits Frustrate An Employment Contract?
- New report examines impact of Ford’s proposals on Ontario health system
- Majority of Ontario small employers want CPP hike scrapped, delayed: survey
- Superior Court Confirms that Employers can Fundamentally Change Employment Contracts with Reasonable Notice
- 7 Business Networking Reminders – Say you’re shy. You go to an event. You need to meet people. But how? Here’s how
- The counterintuitive tricks to asking better questions, according to Harvard research
- Province considering lawsuit to recoup health care costs
- Proposed PMPRB changes could limit Canada’s access to new drugs: report
- Million-dollar medical claims surge 87% from 2014-2017
- Pharmacare plan won’t work without tax hikes, says former PBO
- Federal government urged to help out with spiralling health costs
- Advisory Council launches online consultations on national pharmacare
- CAN YOU RELY ON ARCHIVED CRA COMMUNICATIONS?
- Lack of benefits biggest challenge of gig economy: survey
- Employee view: the pros and cons of opting out of workplace health benefits
- National pharmacare program should be voluntary for provinces, territories: premiers
- How genetic tests can cause needless worry
- Benefits startup League Inc. raises $62-million in Telus, Weston-led financing deal
- Probationary Periods: How Long Is Too Long?
- League raises $62 million and aims to “transform health benefits market”
- Contract work becoming “the new normal” says report
- Manulife, Shoppers Drug Mart launch medical marijuana partnership
July 15, 2018 NEWS
- What Ontario’s changes to OHIP+ tell us about the future of national pharmacare
- Ontario government to become second payer under OHIP+ changes
- Employer-paid benefits to be subject to new B.C. health tax
- Demand for EI sickness benefits rising
- Good News For Employers As Court Of Appeal Chastises Lower Court For Finding Ambiguity In Termination Clause Where None Existed
- Putting A Lid On Benefits Premiums
- Provincial government releases details of new health tax
- Advisors must redefine their value propositions
- Confirming and Controlling Meetings (Specific Technique)
- Is insurance a rich enough game to disrupt?
July 1, 2018 NEWS
- Overview Of The Progressive Conservative Party’s Healthcare Platform
- Over (65) And Out In Benefit Plans Is Unconstitutional HRTO Rules
- Rising biosimilar uptake touted amid ‘continuously evolving’ evidence for safety, efficacy
- Assessing pharmacare’s impact on private drug plans
- National pharmacare the wrong solution, suggests think-tank
- IFB introduces new Anti-Money Laundering course for independent advisors
- Four Tips to help brokers grow, retain business
- Ex-DEA agent: Opioid crisis fueled by drug industry
- New study challenges beliefs held by pharmacare advocates
- Assessing pharmacare’s impact on private drug plans
- A Joint Statement from the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance and the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association
- Webinar: A primer on cannabis legalization and benefits plans
- Personal Emergency Leave – Your Questions Answered
- Orphan drugs hit 42% of new pharmaceuticals in Canada in 2016
June 15, 2018 NEWS
- Age discrimination in benefits plans unconstitutional, tribunal finds
- Age Discrimination In Benefit Plans: Ontario
- Non-Competition Clauses: Enforceable Or Just For Show?
- Insurance Regulators Team Up To Strengthen Consumer Protection
- Federal Cost of a National Pharmacare Program
- Taxation of employer-provided health-benefits
- The one basic courtesy that could save advisors from getting dumped
- Former employer liable for long-term disability found after resignation
- Consolidation of employee benefits firms among hot trends affecting P&C commercial lines
- Just Cause Allegations Must Be Righteous, Or Else! Court Awards $125,000 In Extraordinary Damages For False Claims Of Just Cause
- THE 2018 SANOFI CANADA HEALTHCARE SURVEY
- Employee satisfaction with benefits plans on the rise in 2018: Sanofi survey
- Cutting off workers from benefits at 65 unconstitutional, human rights tribunal rules
June 1, 2018 NEWS
- A great article from a CGIBMember Are group benefits commissions creating a new Wild West?
- Court confirms employer’s right to change job conditions
- LTD Case Law Update – Spring 2018
- Third Party Administrators raise concerns about G19 compensation disclosure guideline
- Hybrid of core coverage, personalized benefits touted as future of health plans
- Ontario Government Does About-Face On Bill 148 Public Holiday Calculation
- How tech is changing insurer-healthcare interaction
- Twenty per cent of claimants drive nearly 80 per cent of drug plan costs
- Ontario Update: Upcoming Changes To Public Holiday Pay
- This Technique Gets You to ‘Yes’ Faster, Without Sales Pressure
- Majority of Canadian employees feel employer has duty to keep them healthy
- Taxation of employer-provided health-benefits
- Taxing health and dental benefits would hit the middle-class, report shows
- Health costs to rise 11.8% in 2018, survey predicts
- Higher Canadian prices no fix for US problems, says health policy expert
- RBC Insurance offers pharmacogenetics testing for group clients
- With the spotlight firmly on the future of Australia’s financial advice sector following the hearings in the royal commission, one of the most important mistakes we should avoid is forgetting the value of advice.
- Section 25(2.1) Of The Ontario Human Rights Code Unconstitutional Says Tribunal! Right To Terminate Group Benefits At 65 Successfully Challenged
- CLHIA announces tweaks to advisor compensation disclosure guideline
- A closer look at Ontario political parties’ pension, benefits promises
- CLHIA makes changes to compensation disclosure guideline G19
May 15, 2018 NEWS
- Great article co-authored by CGIBmember Mike Greenwood. – What Could Go Wrong If I Change My Group Benefits Supplier?
- Extended drug patents to cost Canadians $392 million: PBO
- Pharmacy benefits managers to play growing role in boosting outcomes, addressing costs
- Ontario NDP makes election promise of take-home cancer drug coverage
- Regulators issue proposed guidance for insurers, advisors
- Industry body wants more alternative distribution in group insurance
- Arete® HR Inc. (Arete®) has released a newstudy which demonstrates a direct link between use of an EAP and the reduced likelihood of disability claims, and prescription drugs and paramedical costs.
- HRPA’s election platform suggests further clarity on marijuana rules
- Specialty drugs made up 31% of total private plan drug spending in 2017
- Prescription drug cap, pensions at heart of Labrador strike
- Editorial: Of drugs and dentists: The best-laid plans or a political ploy?
- Choose Wisely: LTD Insurer Entitled To WSIB Offset Despite Tort Election
- Third Party Administrators raise concerns about G19 compensation disclosure guideline
- Aviva Canada enters critical illness insurance market
- Power Financial to invest more in fintech startups to avoid digital disruption
April 30, 2018 NEWS
- Advisors — Find UPDATED G19 Information Here!
- S. court strikes down human rights decision over medical pot
- Consumer fairness guideline simple common sense: broker
- US health insurers to pass drug-price rebates to consumers
- How to Find a Mentor for Career Success
- MedReleaf introduces identification numbers for medical pot products
- 2018 Group Benefits Providers Report: Navigating the digital deluge
- Online pharmacy fined US$34m; founder under house arrest for selling fake drugs
- When critical illness coverage proves its worth
- Standing Committee on Health Publishes Report & Recommendations on National Pharmacare
- Commons committee recommends national pharmacare program
- CLHIA raises concerns about pharmacare report recommendations
- Cystic fibrosis advocacy group calls OHIP+ ‘a disturbing waste’
- Facing high out-of-pocket dental costs, some patients turn to alternatives
- Long Term Disability Insurance: Common Employer Misconceptions
- Canada: An Introduction To Employment Law In Ontario
- Canada: Tips On The Right Way To Fire Employees In Ontario
- Work-provided disability coverage on the decline: RBC
- What employers need to know in long-term disability insurance cases