Hepatitis C may not be on your radar as a drug plan sponsor. But with the benefits—and costs—of new therapies, it will be. Globally, there are 200 million people infected with hepatitis C. There’s a high burden of illness in developing countries such as Africa due to “medical misadventure” such as using unsterilized needles, explained […]
Costs are increasing for drug plan sponsors…but not the ones you think.
Drugs continue to be a cost driver for benefits plans, so what should plan sponsors expect going forward?
Equitable Life of Canada is partnering with Rexall to launch a pilot program to mitigate the impact of high-cost specialty drugs for plan sponsors.
Drug plan stakeholders discuss cost management and patient needs at the 2014 Toronto Face to Face Drug Plan Management Forum
The average cost increase for employer-sponsored medical plans globally will dip slightly in 2015 but continue to significantly exceed general inflation levels, says Aon Hewitt.
ClaimSecure has signed a definitive agreement with Janssen to deliver cost-saving programs and solutions to its health benefit plan sponsor clients, excluding Quebec.
Stan* was a long-time employee at a major technical manufacturer in a safety-sensitive job. When a work injury required knee surgery, he was prescribed an opioid to deal with post-operative pain. He found that in addition to helping with the knee pain, his prescription also helped him cope with lingering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from his military reserve experience. When he needed the medications long after the pain in his knee had subsided, his doctor stopped prescribing. Although Stan found another doctor, this new doctor also eventually refused to prescribe. When he couldn’t find a third doctor to prescribe, he turned to buying street drugs.
One way employers can stay on top of their drug spending is to understand how Canada’s medication prices are formed and to educate their employees about the value of the drug plans they offer.
Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services has introduced a drug cost management tool for its group insurance clients.