iAtoday

By Eveline Keable
Strategic Leader, Health, Wellness and Disability
Group Benefits and Retirement Solutions
iA Financial Group

Our expert

The Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey 2024¹ illustrates the key role that group insurance plans play in organizations. 

In this third and final article on this extensive survey, published in our thought leadership space Insights, we analyze the challenges facing plan sponsors amid the rise in health issues related to chronic pain and illness, as well as the impacts on disability management. We also offer some possible solutions.

The situation

As nearly three out of five people are living with at least one chronic health issue, the impact on an organization’s productivity can be significant.

Plan sponsors, on the other hand, tend to underestimate the number of employees dealing with chronic health issues.

The role of plan sponsors

In addition to the coverage already offered through group insurance plans, providing accommodation solutions to people with chronic pain or illness can help them stay at work or reduce the incidence of disability. 

In this context, we consider it essential that plan sponsors develop long-term wellness strategies to effectively manage costs, maintain productivity, and provide plan members with the means to enhance their total wellbeing and quality of life. 

Read our complete analysis: Chronic pain and disability: Finding the right balance

Communiqués to plan administrators

We will be sending out a communiqué to group insurance plan administrators on March 24.

See the French version of this communiqué.

¹ The survey was conducted online by Ipsos on behalf of Contex Group between February 28 and March 6, 2024, among a national sample of 1,001 group health plan members. Alongside this initiative was another survey conducted by Maru/Blue among 653 benefit plan administrators from March 1 to 7, 2024. For full details, visit the Benefits Canada website.