Employee Benefits Canada

What is typical for employee benefits Canada?
Benefits are confusing - even for people in HR. Like, what services are covered? What percentage of those services? What is a paramedical anyhow?
And benefits are COSTLY so it is to the employer's advantage to make sure that employees know what's covered, are using the services, and appreciate the value. Typically HR is the leader in this so we need to understand it first.
This video explains the typical aspects of benefits packages that are offered to employees in Canada. Shannon Hughes is a benefits broker and helps her clients get complete benefits packages that meet their needs.
0:00 Intro
1:01 Life Insurance
2:41 Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D)
3:33 The two buckets of benefits
4:10 Critical Illness
5:34 Short-term Disability
6:38 The challenges of employee-paid premiums
8:14 Long-term Disability
9:44 Health Insurance
11:27 Paramedicals
12:38 Confusion around coverage
14:00 Health Spending Account
14:57 Taxable Spending Account (Wellness Account)
16:00 Employee Family Assistance Program
Find Shannon at www.captivatebenefits.com/
Find me (Andrea) at www.thehrhub.ca. I'm an HR consultant as well as CZcamsr and provide a wide range of consulting support.

[@srklipsey]

This was extremely helpful, thank you! It would have been nice to hear more about how much these things cost as well, from the employer side as Shannon touched on that a bit.

[@shannonhughes1820]

Hi Sara! Glad this was helpful. The cost of benefits depends on quite a few variables (which benefits are included in the employer's plan, the industry, demographics, past claims usage of the organization, etc) so it's difficult to give a direct answer. That being said, the average cost range for single coverage is between $100-$200/month and for family coverage is $350 - $500/month. The insurance companies require that the employer pay at least 50% of the cost. Hope this helps!

[@srklipsey]

@@shannonhughes1820 that's great thanks so much!!!

[@kellyjardine1069]

Hi Shannon,
Loved the video. Thank you for sharing! I work for an EFAP carrier and would love to add more to this conversation. How can I reach out to you?

[@shannonhughes1820]

Hi Kelly. I'd love to connect! You can find me here: www.captivatebenefits.com/. Talk to you soon!

[@jananisriganesh9365]

Hi can you please give some insights on Work from home equipment benefits Canadian companies are providing for employees? For eg: Table, chair, internet expenses etc. How much is given across companies? THanks

[@shannonhughes1820]

Hi Janani, unfortunately I don't know the answer to your question as it varies greatly. One thing I can share is that as part of covid support from the government, the first $500 that is reimbursed to employees is not considered taxable income. This link has more information. Hope this helps.
www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/campaigns/covid-19-update/covid-19-benefits-credits-support-payments/employer-provided-benefits.html#office

[@BraveCapricorn]

Anyone also feeling they are mentioning death and dismemberment or cancer or any of these life disasters as if they’re just regular everyday things ?! People are just numbers for benefits people

[@hrhubtalk]

I know Shannon cares deeply about people. It's her 'Purpose' and ensuring people have coverage at these awful times... well it's hard to underestimate how important it is. Sometimes it feels like dealing with benefits companies is so frustrating because the coverage doesn't match what you thought you had (speaking from experience here too).
I've been in HR a long time and I never really appreciated how much employer-paid benefits can vary until these episodes! And these are not facts we discover until we need the coverage. I hope you get your situation sorted out - whatever it is!

[@rkghawgs]

Quick questions - I work with HR software in the US, but am working with a client in Canada that's interested...
Is there an open enrollment period for companies in Canada, or can employees enroll and unenroll in benefits whenever?
Is Evidence of Insurability still required for employees that go over the Guaranteed Issue for optional/supplementary life plans?

[@hrhubtalk]

Good question Kyle. I let Shannon know about the question - she'll get back to you (here) today or tomorrow.

[@shannonhughes1820]

Hi Kyle! Thanks for the question. In Canada, open enrolment only happens on the 'cafeteria style' plans, which are reserved for very large organizations. The majority of benefit plans are set up as mandatory participation, so employees can't choose when to enrol, if they meet the eligibility requirements then they must join the plan as soon as they've satisfied the waiting period. The exception is if they have health and dental insurance through their spouse's employer, they can waive these benefits.
Regarding the need for proof of good health for life insurance, if the plan is set up with an overall maximum that's higher than the Non-Evidence maximum then yes, they would submit an E of I to apply for the additional coverage if their salary makes them eligible for the higher coverage. This applies to Life, Short-Term Disability (with some carriers) and Long-Term Disability.
I'm available to discuss this in more detail if you have more questions! You can find my contact info at www.captivatebenefits.com. Thanks!