Dear Subscriber,
Are you like me and feel like you are seeing light at the end of the tunnel? and maybe (for a change) it's positive, and not a train barrelling down on us?
I feel like... - there are more cases of COVID, but life is getting back together.
- clients are doing a bit better, and taking more time off
- we have fewer questions about COVID, travel and staff mental health
- the urgency of things is slowing, and getting back to "normal"
I hope you're feeling the same positivity that I am. Maybe take a moment and add your thoughts and comments to the #advice channel on SLACK.
Kinda nice when not every conversation starts with COVID, we don't have dozens of employment law cases around COVID, and the newspaper and industry publications story leads are not all COVID related.
Let's look forward and keep moving.
Dave |
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OUR EVENTS
CGIB COFFEE CHATS
Coffee chats are like a virtual breakfast. Log in, ask questions, share problems, seek solutions and talk about what's on your mind. Best done from a computer, with a camera and a microphone. No CE credits, but also no cost, just show up.
Tuesday July 19th @ 2pm (EST) Thursday August 4th @ 2pm (EST) Thursday September 1st @ 2pm (EST) Tuesday September 20th @ 2pm (EST) Thursday October 13th @ 2pm (EST) ____________________________________________________________ Give your clients FREE HR & differentiate your offering.
15% off promotion. As you may know, CGIB has an exclusive partnership with ConnectsUs HR that created a customized HR program for CGIB members. For a discounted and affordable annual fee, the program provides your clients with free access to the HR toolkit valued at $700 per year. Over 600 employers have signed up for this program. Head over to this page for details and take advantage of our annual promotion of 15% discount until the end of July. Use discount code CGIB15. Any questions, feel free to contact me or ConnectsUs HR directly. ____________________________________________________________
BREAKFAST MEETINGS CGIB no longer runs the breakfast meetings, but supports the initiative of the volunteers that do.
Please find the details for your closest location below. Ajax, Cambridge, Edmonton, London, Markham, Oakville, St Catherines, Toronto, Vancouver Island, Windsor or the Virtual National Meeting
Virtual meetings through Zoom may be utilized until COVID19 passes. Please contact the event champions to be added to their lists, and receive more info.
____________________________________________________________ Upcoming CGIB Events:
Hold the date for these upcoming events, and watch for details HERE.
Toronto Seminar - Wednesday October 5th Paramount Event Venue - Vaughan
Know Your (Group) Client - Robert Crowder Selling on Value, not just Price - Dave Patriarche Changes in the Dental space in Ontario - ODA Speaker TBA Disability Cases one Wrong - David Share
Calgary Seminar - Tuesday October 18th Best Western Calgary Plaza Hotel
Selling on Value, not just Price - Dave Patriarche Employment Law update - Speaker TBC Concerning trends in benefits - Dave Patriarche Speaker and Topic - TBC
Vancouver Seminar - Thursday October 20th Sandman Signature Vancouver Airport
Selling on Value, not just Price - Dave Patriarche Employment Law update - Shane King Concerning trends in benefits - Dave Patriarche Speaker and Topic - TBC |
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GET ON SLACK
The CGIB SLACK channel is a great place to pose questions, share info and learn a ton from your fellow members. The info and discussions that are posted there are unlike anywhere in the industry. Sadly, about 15% of CGIB members are still missing out on all the info being shared. Others have not taken a look at all the documents, videos and information available in MEMBERS ONLY to make their life easier.
NOTE TO ALL SLACK USERS: We now have 40+ channels in Slack to handle different topics. Please take a moment to add these channels to your menu. To do so, just click on the + next to Channels on the top left. Browse the channels and then click JOIN to add each of them. By doing so you won’t be missing some really great info. |
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SUGGESTED READING
We think the information contained below is of great value and encourage you to read the articles and check out the events that interest you. In most cases, these articles and events are not run by CGIB, so please contact the organizers for more information. We take no responsibility for the websites, events, organizations or their content. |
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Suggested Reading:
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DISABILITY MANAGEMENT REVIEWED Employers across Canada have the opportunity to have their current workplace disability management programs reviewed using an internationally accepted assessment tool free of charge. Workplace disability management assessments are being offered free of charge to employers across Canada. The assessments, administered by NIDMAR under the auspices of the International Disability Management Standards Council, can help employers establish benchmarks, identify gaps in their existing programs, and create a plan for future improvements.
MENTAL HEALTH UNCHANGED At 64.9, the mental health of Canadians remains nearly unchanged from the prior month, says LifeWorks’ ‘Mental Health Index.’ It shows 32 per cent of Canadians have a high mental health risk, 43 per cent have a moderate mental health risk, and 25 per cent have a low mental health risk. Anxiety, optimism, and general psychological health scores declined from April to May 2022. For the third consecutive month, the mental health score of managers is lower than non-managers and the national average.
DISABILITY MANAGEMENT REVIEWED Employers across Canada have the opportunity to have their current workplace disability management programs reviewed using an internationally accepted assessment tool free of charge. Workplace disability management assessments are being offered free of charge to employers across Canada. The assessments, administered by NIDMAR under the auspices of the International Disability Management Standards Council, can help employers establish benchmarks, identify gaps in their existing programs, and create a plan for future improvements. https://www.nidmar.ca/news/full_story.asp?fid=295
IMPORTANCE OF BENEFITS PLANS INCREASES In the midst of a tight labour market, Canadians are placing increasing importance on employer-provided benefits plans, says an RBC Insurance survey. It found 73 per cent of young Canadians aged 18 to 34 and 69 per cent of 35- to 44-year-olds are significantly more likely to leave their current employer for another that is offering what they would consider better benefits. In determining what makes one benefits plan better than another, the top three desired features are support for mental health, health spending accounts, and options to add additional coverage to better meet personal or financial objectives. “Given our collective experience since March of 2020, it’s not surprising to see a range of worries and stressors reported by working Canadians” says Julie Gaudry, head of group benefits at RBC Insurance. “The knock-on impacts of a tightening labour market have made flexible and tailored employer-provided benefits desired by many and clearly a draw, particularly for younger generations.” RBC Economics has found there are roughly 70 per cent more job postings and six per cent fewer available workers compared to pre-pandemic levels in Canada, creating a ‘buyer’s market’ for those seeking a job change. Further, the Bank of Canada’s ‘Survey of Consumer Expectations’ reveals the likelihood of a worker voluntarily leaving a job is increasing as younger Canadians report lower levels of overall well-being, mental, and physical health year-over-year since 2019. “With heightened competition for talent, it’s critical that organizations develop or refine benefits plans as a key component of their offer,” says Gaudry.
SURGERY BACKLOGS REMAIN While the provinces ramp up the number of surgeries and procedures to pre-pandemic levels, significant backlogs and longer than recommended wait times remain, says an Eckler ‘Group News.’ Citing a study by the Canadian Institute for Health Information which looked at trends over the first 18 months of the pandemic, it says wait times for priority surgeries and diagnostic tests fluctuated with each wave of the pandemic and created deepening backlogs. For example, even though wait times for elective surgery decreased over the 18-month period between April 2020 and September 2021, patients experienced delays for cataract, hip, and joint replacements, as resources were prioritized for more urgent procedures like hip fracture repair, radiation therapy, and cancer surgery. The study found that only 51 per cent of patients were treated within the recommended time frame of 182 days for hip and knee replacements in the first months of the pandemic. Those numbers gradually improved between April and September 2021 to 62 per cent of patients, compared to 71 per cent before the pandemic. Wait times for MRI scans were generally shorter after the first wave than before the pandemic, while wait times for CT scans remained the same. Although the volume of diagnostic imaging scans dropped by over 20 per cent during the first wave from April to September 2020, between October 2020 and September 2021, wait times for MRI scans were shorter by four to five days when compared with the pre-pandemic period. Noteworthy, however, is the variation in wait times among the provinces. Between April and September 2021, median wait times for MRI scans were six to 27 days shorter compared with pre-pandemic wait times in Prince Edward Island, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Alberta and 11 and 30 days longer in Manitoba and Nova Scotia, respectively. The delays in wait times for procedures can prevent plan members from returning to work in a timely manner and can have a consequential effect on follow-up doctor’s appointments and potential therapy needed during the recovery period. As a result, private disability plans may experience additional cost pressures. |
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One is very skilled at following the recipe. Quality control, consistency and diligence.
The other understands how the recipe works, sees patterns and opportunities and changes the recipe to fit the problem to be solved. It’s about metaphor in addition to process.
Both are useful.
If you think this is a post about cooking, you might be the first kind of cook.
My Take on Seths Post
Put another way... The first kind of advisor has a few great plan designs that they think fit all clients. The second kind of advisor askes the probing questions to learn what plan is needed, what design makes sense and how to get the desired outcome for all parties.
The first might say do you want an 80% plan or 100%?, with or without LTD? The second discusses hybrid plans, exclusionary formularies, maybe drug caps, or flex plans made with insured components and/or maybe ASO funding. They get that every client is different and there is no one right plan.
Most of our interactions fall into one of these categories.
Our strategy for the game involves doing something to the other team.
Many service businesses are aligned around the idea of doing things for their patients or customers.
And long-term mutually beneficial relationships are built around with.
Trouble happens when one party expects a different relationship than the other one might.
My Take on Seths Post
Put another way...I like this one as it just reinforces how "partnerships" of like parties create great outcomes. Make sure your "offering" meets the partners "expectations" and you'll never go wrong. |
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EDUCATIONAL EVENTS
ONLINE CE CREDITS
Looking for benefits dedicated online CE courses? Want to provide your admin and support staff with basic knowledge? Want to dig into something more detailed for your benefits/insurance business? Business Career College (BCC) has an extensive catalogue of online CE courses with a number of group benefits specific courses covering topics ranging from contractual concerns, plan designs, and underwriting requirements, to product specifics and integration with government benefits. Courses consist of narrated videos with short, online quizzes. The full catalogue includes over 60 courses, podcasts, and videos covering topics from the world of insurance, investments, financial planning, taxation, and ethics with a focus on technical content and real-world application. Courses are accredited for the maximum categories of credits and can include provincial Life and A&S credits, FP Canada, Advocis, and more! Use code CGIB on registration for your first three months free! |
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Creating a Sustainable Insurance Model for High Cost / Rare Disease Drugs in Canada
Mapol Inc. invites you to attend a complimentary webinar.The Webinar will be held on Tuesday, July 26, 2022 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time.
Speakers:
Tim Clarke, BMath, FSA, FCIA President, tc Health Consulting Inc.
Johnny Ma President & COO, Mapol Inc.
Learning objectives: - Provide an overview of the recent white paper issued jointly by Mapol Inc. and tc Health Consulting Inc.
- Review the key principles that can support a drug funding model in Canada as it relates to Drugs for Rare Diseases
- Examine examples as to how global insurance models, approaches, and innovations could potentially inspire new drug insurance models in Canada
Please follow the below steps to register: - Click the registration link.
- Fill in the required information on the registration page, then click "Register."
- Closer to the webinar date, you will receive a registration confirmation email with the webinar login details.
An application for 1 CE credit will be submitted to the Institute for Advanced Financial Education. Individual CE applications are not submitted to any other regulatory body (i.e. AIC, ICM, CSF, IIROC, etc.).Please note, this complimentary webinar is limited to invited guests including insurers, PBMs, TPAs, benefits consultants, and employers.
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BENEFIT PLAN CERTIFICATE OFFERED __________________________________________________________
The 2022 Healthy Outcomes Conference is an in-person event in Toronto on Oct. 17-18 intended for employers to exchange ideas, best practices and tools for achieving improved employee health outcomes and enhanced organizational performance.
The event will include several panels featuring leading employers and industry thought leaders discussing the trends and topics that matter most today. The winners of the 2022 Workplace Benefits Awards will also be announced throughout the day. We hope you will join us.
KEYNOTE SESSION:
Linda Duxbury - TORN BETWEEN WANT AND REALITY: HYBRID WORK AND WORK-LIFE BALANCE
More than two years after many employees started working from their homes, both employers and employees are talking about how they want to work post-pandemic. However, few are factoring work-life boundary preferences into the discussion. Research in this area has shown employees use two different approaches — segmentation and integration — when attempting to balance work and family. This session will use data from the 2020-23 Employee Wellbeing in Times of COVID-19 study to review the relationship between boundary management preferences, work-life balance and employee well-being, outlining the implications for employers and employees as they seek a balance between what they want and what’s actually best for them.
___________________________________________________________ Save the date for this 10th Anniversary Edition of the World-famous Canada Sales Congress
This years’ CSC will be an in-person event on Wednesday, October 26, 2022, at the Toronto Congress Centre.For this special 10th anniversary edition of the CSC, we will feature some of the top speakers from previous Canada Sales Congress events, along with inspiring first-time speakers!
This “best of the past and best of the future” approach will be showcased under the theme All-Stars and Rising Stars.Get the ideas that made these top advisors stars so you can be one too.
Discover how to “Aim for the moon so if you miss you still end up among the stars”!
Mark October 26 in your calendar: ___________________________________________________________ Claim Secure Drug Trends and Cost Containment Solutions
Please join us on July 19th @ 2pmEST.
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ClaimSecure is pleased to announce our 2022 eLearning series. Below is the schedule with the dates and times for the webinars.
We will be sending the registration links two weeks prior to each webinar.
We hope you will enjoy our 2022 eLearning series and we will look forward to your feedback. |
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Need help? Have questions? Looking for something?
Reach out to CGIB - Dave Patriarche - dave@cgib.ca - 905-886-9203 |
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