migraines – Benefits Canada.com

Webinar coverage: How employers can support employees with migraine

Jennifer Paterson — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 14:00:22 +0000

Migraine affects 12 to 15 per cent of Canadians, said Dr. Elizabeth Leroux, a Montreal-based neurologist, president of the Canadian Headache Society and chair of Migraine Canada, during a webinar hosted by Benefits Canada and sponsored by Lundbeck Canada Inc. in October. According to the World Health Organization, a severe migraine attack is as disabling […]

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Stigma, coverage barriers preventing proper treatment of migraine

mschmit — Fri, 31 Jan 2020 04:48:11 +0000

While 2.7 million Canadians suffer from migraine, the condition can be subdivided based on its frequency, said Dr. Esma Dilli, neurologist and clinical assistant professor at the University of British Columbia, during Benefits Canada’s 2019 Vancouver Mental Health Summit on Dec. 12. Episodic migraine is defined by less than 15 headache days a month, whereas […]

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The comorbidity link between migraine and mental health

mschmit — Fri, 03 Jan 2020 04:42:12 +0000

A migraine sufferer herself, Dr. Rose Giammarco, founder and director of Hamilton Headache Clinic, told the audience at Benefits Canada‘s 2019 Mental Health Summit that migraine can be very disabling and cause tremendous burden of disease. “Clinically, these patients come in with severe headaches, throbbing pain that can last hours or days, sometimes weeks at […]

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New drug therapies for common conditions could impact private plan sustainability

mschmit — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 04:50:26 +0000

While medical advancements and drug therapy innovations have been life-changing for patients and plan members, they also come with increasing costs, said Victoria Shaw, drug benefits manager at Alberta Blue Cross, speaking at Benefits Canada’s 2019 Calgary Drug Trends Summit on Oct. 24. Between 2011 to 2017, the number of high-cost drugs doubled. From 2016 to 2017, in […]

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Health-care cost of migraine rising as patients face reduced wages, lost productivity

mschmit — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 04:49:58 +0000

Although migraine is disabling, it’s also very common, with 2.7 million or 8.3 per cent of Canadians suffering from the condition, according to Dr. Farnaz Amoozegar, a neurologist and clinical assistant professor at the University of Calgary. The condition affects one in seven people and is the second-leading cause of disability worldwide, she said during […]

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Which health conditions are impacting benefits plans?

mschmit — Fri, 13 Sep 2019 04:54:13 +0000

The Health Association of Nova Scotia, which has a number of different employers in its benefits plan, cites rheumatoid arthritis medications as its top drugs in terms of cost. “Chronic disease, in terms of inflammatory disease — not just for rheumatoid, but for Crohn’s disease as well — those are what we’re seeing from a […]

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What health conditions are keeping employees from work?

mschmit — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 04:55:50 +0000

It’s impossible to avoid the simple truth that people get sick, which often keeps them away from work. But which specific health conditions are keeping employees from doing their jobs? The usual suspects Plan sponsors don’t typically capture the reason for a casual absence in terms of a medical condition, says Paula Allen, vice-president of […]

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Bridging the gap in migraine understanding, awareness

mschmit — Fri, 07 Sep 2018 04:50:21 +0000

A lack of understanding is a significant driver of stigma faced by employees who experience migraines, said Rob Grein, a partner at strategic marketing agency PMG Intelligence, during Benefits Canada‘s 2018 Healthy Outcomes conference in May. As part of recent research, Grein has been working to find out what migraine represents in the workplace today. […]

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How employers can better support workers suffering from migraines

mschmit — Wed, 04 Jul 2018 05:55:03 +0000

Workplace accommodations and new targeted medications promise to transform the experience of migraine sufferers after decades of neglect, a speaker told participants at a recent event. Dr. Christine Lay, head of the neurology division at Women’s College Hospital, told an audience at Benefits Canada’s Chronic Disease at Work conference that the condition has largely flown under […]

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