The Benefits Canada 2024 Healthcare Survey reported its annual findings on how employer benefit plan sponsors are shaping their offerings to best meet plan member needs, and how plan members report their health insurance is (or isn’t) helping them.
One painful conclusion of the survey was that thirty-eight per cent of plan members reported living with chronic pain (defined as pain that persists for three or more months, or flares up from time to time, such as migraines or lower back pain) that was either officially diagnosed (10%) or self-diagnosed (28%).
Is employee chronic pain impacting your business?
You may not realize it, but the survey found that twenty-two per cent of plan members with diagnosed or undiagnosed chronic pain reported that their chronic pain made it harder to get things done on a daily basis – including getting things done at work. Almost one third noted that things were harder to do at least once or twice a week. And, according to the Canadian Chiropractic Association 63% of employees blame their workplace for their aches and pains.
What is chronic pain? It is when an employee experiences persistent or intermittent pain that last for more than 3 months. Every year in Canada over 10,000 cases are diagnosed and require treatment from causes like arthritis, back and knee strain and injury, surgery or headaches.
Too often employee have difficulty working when in pain. A struggling and stressed employee is more likely to make errors or take longer than anticipated to complete their work. When pain escalates, your employee may reduce their hours worked when they need to leave early, or they will take sick days off work to rest and treat their condition.
This presenteeism and absenteeism can substantially impact your business productivity.
How do your health benefits help?
Things like prescription medication, access to physiotherapy, psychological support, acupuncture, occupational therapy and adaptive devices all make a tremendous difference to the overall health and well-being of those of living with chronic pain.
The problem is that the costs for this healthcare is typically not covered by an employee’s government health plan, and they will have to pay entirely out of pocket for treatments unless they have the support of your employer provided health plan.
Health insurance provides coverage for anti-inflammatory drugs and muscle relaxants prescribed for managing chronic pain. For employees that is good news, and their benefit card enables them to submit claims directly to the insurer for reimbursement, so they won’t have to pay out of their pocket for most of the costs at the pharmacy.
Extended benefits included in health plans reimburse a portion of expenses and the dollar costs of treatments not covered by existing government plans like massage therapy to rub and work the muscles, physiotherapy at a clinic to help regain some range of motion by treating musculoskeletal impairments and learn pain managements strategies and chiropractic manipulation to correct the body’s alignment and overall physical function for pain relief.
By providing health insurance, you also create more affordable access to a wide range of other pain care that includes including
Online evidence-informed self-management programs
These tools help employees focus on improved nutrition and sleep, increasing their physical activity and support strategies for resiliency that can help to reduce the severity of chronic pain.
Access To Virtual Care
Virtual and telehealth care provides convenient access for condition consultation and eliminates the need for your employee to travel to talk to a medical practitioner to provide pain assessment, treatment and management strategies as well as referrals to specialists like rheumatologists or neurologists.
Mental Health Services
Chronic pain can impact mental well-being, and health insurance may cover counseling or therapy which can be invaluable in managing the emotional aspects of living with chronic pain. Tools for psychological such as cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based interventions are often built in as part of your health insurance plan.
Chronic Disease Management
Many plans offer specific support tools for other chronic conditions associated with chronic pain, like arthritis and back and knee injuries.
Durable Equipment
For physical support, health insurance covers aids for daily living including braces, custom foot orthotics, canes, crutches, walkers, or wheelchairs.
By educating your employees on extended health benefit features to address their pain, your employees can better focus on getting the job done for you.
Offering a health plan that supports employees is easy
Did you know that all your employees will qualify for an individual insurance plan or a small group plan? As an employer it’s important to offer benefits that all can enjoy.
Your employee health plan with prescription drug coverage can also cover dental health benefits, or not. You can control how much you want to fund. A portion of the health plan insurance premiums may be deductible as a business expense and may also be non-taxable to an employee. The insurer will provide convenient online access so you can print receipts for income tax purposes. It is important to consult with a tax advisor to be certain.
Plans can cover single employees or their families; children under the age of twenty-one can apply as dependents.
If coverage through individual health plans is what you want to offer, any employee with a serious health condition will have the option of a guaranteed issue plan with no medical questions asked, and coverage is available for employees 18 years of age and older (and renewable for life).
And, if your employees have duplicate coverage under a group plan, there is no waste. An individual health plan works with group coverage, ‘topping up’ benefits employees use – so they can enjoy fewer out of pocket costs.
Getting Your Employees and Your Business Back On Track
Being in pain for extended periods of time is very difficult for any employee, and having employees with chronic pain is difficult for your business productivity. The fact is health insurance benefits are an important part of any employee’s compensation package and empowers them to take care of their health. Each specific health insurance policy covers different services and provides different built in support tools. To best understand the extent of coverage for chronic pain management in a plan you are considering, don’t hesitate to talk to one of our SBIS insurance specialists. We are ready to help you find the plan that best meets your needs and budget, providing free, no-obligation quotes and information packages. You can visit our website or call us today at 1-800-667-0429 or 416-601-0429 Monday to Friday, 8:45 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. ET.
