On December 4, 2018, Mapol Inc. hosted the 5th Annual Benefits Advisors’ Drug Plan Outlook in Toronto. This event brought together industry thought leaders from the benefits advisor and innovative pharmaceutical manufacturer communities from across Canada. Emerging issues and top trends within group benefits plans were discussed with the goal of finding common ground considerations to improve plan member / patient outcomes.
In terms of advancements in treatments, the value of new drugs was reviewed in the areas of vaccines, oncology, mental health and respiratory diseases. In terms of technological trends, using digital health apps to improve disease management was discussed as being ‘here and now’. At a national level, different concepts for National Pharmacare were considered in terms of the potential impact on private drug plans.
With the priority of managing benefits costs and improving employee health and productivity, the group discussed areas for further collaboration through stakeholder engagement and education into 2019.
The proceedings of this event will be published in an upcoming edition of Benefits and Pensions Monitor.