Source: Sanofi (EURONEXT: SAN) (NYSE: SNY)
- Three-quarters of employers are worried about the impact of
unmanaged chronic disease
- Two-thirds (66%) of Canadian employees would consent to receive
personalized information based on their own benefits claims
TORONTO, June 13, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - The 21st
edition of The Sanofi Canada Healthcare Survey of Canadian
employees with workplace health benefit plans (plan members) and of
organizations who offer their employees health benefits (plan
sponsors) indicates that while 58% of surveyed plan members
report having at least one chronic disease or condition, plan
sponsors underestimate the proportion of their workforce with a
chronic condition (29%). Three-quarters (77%) of plan sponsors
indicate they are concerned about the impact of unmanaged chronic
disease on the productivity of their workforce.
However, both groups are open to new benefit offerings in the
area of chronic disease management, with a solid majority of plan
members (66%) who would consent to their benefit carriers analyzing
their personal claims data in order to generate personal, targeted
communications. A similar proportion of (64%) of plan sponsors are
interested in such a service from their benefit carrier.
The impact of chronic disease and a desire for new benefit
offerings
- Fifty-eight percent of surveyed plan members report having at
least one chronic disease or condition, yet plan sponsors estimate
that just 29% of their workforce has a chronic condition.
- Just over half of plan sponsors (58%) say they receive claims
data analyses that identify the main disease states, yet only 19%
say they regularly receive such reporting.
- Almost half of employees with chronic conditions (47%) report
they have missed work or found it harder to do their jobs as a
result; this climbs to 72% among those with a mental health
condition such as depression or anxiety.
- Eighty-four percent of plan members with a chronic disease
would like to know more about their condition and how to treat it;
79% of plan sponsors would like their health benefit plan to do
more to support plan members with chronic diseases.
An openness for targeted communications
- Sixty-six percent of plan members would consent to receive
information on personal health issues based on their use of
benefits (e.g., their drug claims).
- Plan sponsors are aligned: 64% are interested in their
insurance carrier sending targeted health information to consenting
plan members.
- Plan members are most interested in receiving targeted
information about their medications (52%), recommended local
healthcare professionals or experts (51%) and how to manage their
conditions (47%).
Stress taking a toll
- One in three plan members (33%) report high levels of stress on
a typical day over the past three months, increasing to 50% among
those in poor financial health.
- The top sources of stress are personal finances (38%), workload
(37%) and work/life balance (31%).
- Twenty-six percent of plan members took time off or left work
early due to stress in the past year; among them, they reported
13.8 times when they took time off or left work.
Medical cannabis: opinions divided
- Sixty-four percent of plan members agree that medical cannabis
(medical marijuana), when authorized by a physician, should be
covered by their health benefit plan.
- Plan sponsors are much more undecided: 34% would like their
plan to cover medical cannabis (including 8% who say they already
do); 34% do not want it covered; and 32% do not know or are
unsure.
Other topics addressed
Plan members and plan sponsors each responded to more than 50
questions posed by this year's surveys covering a wide variety of
topics including: Perceptions of quality of health benefit plans
• What's valued most: coverage of routine or unexpected costs •
Average number of claims for prescription drugs, dental and
paramedical services • Plan members' estimates of drug plan costs •
Quality of communications to plan members • Plan sponsors' major
concerns about their health benefit plans • Incidence of annual
drug plan caps • Incidence of flex plans & health spending
accounts • Importance of specific objectives for health benefit
plans • Plan members' behaviours to track health • Personal
health-risk screenings • Workplace flu shot programs • Trends in
workplace wellness programs
The full report is available at Sanofi Canada's website,
www.sanofi.ca. This year's report also includes "Top 10 Calls of
Action" for plan sponsors and their benefit providers.
About The Sanofi Canada Healthcare Survey
The Sanofi Canada Healthcare Survey is Canada's premier survey of health benefit
plans, capturing the opinions, concerns and behaviours of employees
and employers with health benefit plans. The 2018 edition
of The Sanofi Canada Healthcare Survey was
initiated by TC Media Content Research Group on behalf of Sanofi
Canada. The survey was conducted online in January 2018. A
total national sample of 1,503 primary holders of group
health benefit plans completed the study. The data has been
statistically weighted to ensure the age, gender and regional
composition of the sample reflect those of the adult population
according to the 2016 Census data. This survey was
coupled with another online survey of 502 health benefit
plan sponsors from across the country, conducted in January 2018. The data was statistically weighted
to accurately reflect the geographic distribution of business and
business size according to Industry Canada.
About Sanofi
Sanofi is dedicated to supporting people through their health
challenges. We are a global biopharmaceutical company focused on
human health. We prevent illness with vaccines, provide innovative
treatments to fight pain and ease suffering. We stand by the few
who suffer from rare diseases and the millions with long-term
chronic conditions.
With more than 100,000 people in 100 countries, Sanofi is
transforming scientific innovation into healthcare solutions around
the globe.
Sanofi entities in Canada
employ more than 2,000 people. In 2017, we invested $131.4 million in R&D in Canada, creating jobs, business and
opportunity throughout the country.
Follow us on Twitter @SanofiCanada and on YouTube.
Sanofi, Empowering Life
Supporting quotes:
"At Sanofi Canada we are proud to be a long-standing partner
in offering key insights that help evolve and address personal
health management since we first launched The Sanofi Canada
Healthcare Survey in 1997. We have witnessed major changes in the
Canadian workplace over the past 21 years, but the value that
employees place in their health benefit plans has remained
constant. We all share a vision to improve the health and
productivity of the Canadian workforce, which in turn helps ensure
the sustainability of our healthcare system."
Niven Al-Khoury, President,
Sanofi Canada.
"There can be a big difference between how effectively you
communicate and how effectively the information is received.… We
need to move to more just-in-time methods so people can quickly
figure out what they really have as benefits, and not assume they
don't have something because they just don't
remember."
Adrian
Ebrahimi, Account Executive, SSQ Insurance
"Plan members living with a chronic disease see their
pharmacist regularly for prescription refills. Now that pharmacists
can do more under an expanded scope of practice, combined with
enhanced digital health tools, we have a real opportunity to
improve population health and to further motivate patients'
engagement."
Rachel
Huckle, Senior Vice-President, Health and Wellness, Shoppers
Drug Mart
"Data privacy is still a concern for some plan members,
but many of them also have begun to see the value of appropriate
targeted communications. Five years ago when we talked to clients
about targeting members with personal health information, the
answer was a flat-out 'No'. That's changing, and insurers are
ramping up the technology to make targeted communications a part of
chronic disease management support."
Barb Martinez, Practice Leader, Benefits
Solutions, Group Benefits, Great-West Life
"We are encouraging some plan sponsors to hold off on
implementing more wellness tactics so they can take the time to
determine objectives and assess their foundation in terms of
culture and leadership. It can be worthwhile to hit the pause
button on some activities, and shift to more of an internal
focus."
Jennifer Elia,
Assistant Vice-President, Integrated Health Solutions, Sun Life
Financial
"One of the most important things for carriers and advisors
to do is to help plan sponsors clearly define their objectives so
that they will see even better results from their benefit
plan—results that have a direct impact on the success of the
business."
Marc Bertossini, Director, Marketing, Group
and Business Insurance, Desjardins Insurance
SOURCE Sanofi Canada