June 3, 2015
Moncton, NB – While plan sponsors estimate that about one-quarter (26% on average) of their workforce has a chronic health condition, more than half (56%) of plan members indicate they have such a condition, according to the 2015 edition of The Sanofi Canada Healthcare Survey – Benefits 2020: Shifting gears toward health management, released today by Sanofi Canada. Many employees see great value in having a health benefit plan, yet plan sponsors and plan members are not making the link between their plans and the prevalence of chronic disease in the workplace.
“The results of this year’s survey were noteworthy with many plan members indicating they wanted their employers to provide more support when it comes to their overall health,” said Anne Nicoll, Vice President, Health and Disability Management and Sanofi Survey Advisory Board member. “The results also indicate that more plan sponsors need to start making changes to plans now in anticipation of what’s coming in terms of chronic disease and other health developments.”
Employees aren’t alone in feeling the workplace can play a bigger role in preventing disease and illness. The survey also reports that 44% of plan members with chronic conditions told their immediate managers or supervisors about their health, and 82% report their managers were supportive afterwards.
The survey offers insights on a number of other trends taking place in the health care industry – including the increasing focus on high cost drugs and increased collaboration among all stakeholders when it comes to helping people navigate their personal wellness through our health care system.
The 2015 edition of The Sanofi Healthcare Survey – Benefits 2020: Shifting gears toward health management can be viewed online at www.sanofi.ca.
About Medavie Blue Cross
Medavie Blue Cross is a not-for-profit organization that provides health, dental, travel, life and income replacement products to small and large companies in Atlantic Canada, Ontario and Quebec and to individual customers in Atlantic Canada. It also administers various provincial and federal government sponsored health programs.
Our shareholder is the community. We're proud of our more than 1,900 employees who donate their time and money to support healthy outcomes in communities across the six provinces where we operate. Through our Building Healthy Communities program and the Medavie Health Foundation, we contribute 13% of our annual net income to the communities where our clients and colleagues live and work.