New Enhanced Vision Benefit Options Available

Vision care is a highly valuable benefit for members, significantly impacting their overall health, quality of life and productivity. According to a recent Benefits Canada survey, vision benefits are consistently ranked in the top three preferences for increased coverage among all age groups, with those aged 55 and above placing even higher value on it.

Despite its importance, current vision coverage levels often lead to significant out-of-pocket expenses for members due to limited coverage for modern diagnostics, high costs for specialized treatments like progressive or multifocal lenses, follow-up care for diagnosed eye diseases, and expensive lens implants for cataract surgery.

Benefit options

We are offering customizable vision benefit options with some of the features listed below, to provide flexibility to meet members’ diverse needs. Detailed information on plan options can be found here, by downloading the flyer.

Access to quality vision care allows for early detection and  treatment, helping prevent vision loss and preserve quality of life. The 2023 Specsavers Canada Eye Exam Survey conducted by Leger revealed that 25% of Canadians who do not wear glasses have not had an eye exam in over 10 years. Diseases like glaucoma progress without symptoms in their early stages, making regular exams critical.

Why upgrading vision care benefits your members

Addressing vision issues is crucial – ensuring access to comprehensive vision care and benefits is more important than ever for providing timely and effective care to your members. 

Other key reasons to upgrade include:

• Ongoing care: Additional coverage for partial or follow-up eye exams ensures those with diagnosed medical conditions receive necessary ongoing care.
• Increased screen time: Regular vision care is essential for maintaining member health and productivity, especially with the rise in screen time in modern workplaces.
• Complex vision needs: Vision impairment affects quality of life and work productivity at any age, and adults often develop more complex vision needs as they age.
• Recruitment and retention: Enhancing vision benefits demonstrates a commitment to member well-being, which can attract and retain top talent.
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): Supporting vision care aligns with DEI initiatives by addressing the diverse needs of all members, including aging members and those with significant visual impairments.

Now is a great opportunity to review your group vision care plan to ensure the benefits are current and meet the needs of your members and their families. By modernizing your vision benefits, you can ensure they have access to the best possible vision care.

Diabetes Awareness Month: Enhancing Member Health with Connected Care

More and more plan members are looking to make meaningful lifestyle changes—whether by adopting healthier diets, becoming more active, or accessing mental health support—to better manage chronic conditions. However, challenges like time, personal costs, and motivation often stand in the way. (Source: Benefits Canada Health Care Survey)

Connected Care helps overcome these barriers with an expanded range of resources tailored to condition management, including diabetes, while also supporting whole-person health. We encourage you to share latest Connected Care user guide with your members to help them navigate the new features with ease.

Supporting members living with diabetes and other chronic conditions

Connected Care is designed to make wellness and preventative care accessible, empowering members to improve their health through personalized programs:

• Health Coaching and Chronic Disease Management: The 360 Total Care program, by Revella Health, provides members with one-on-one coaching for self-managing diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. Read our member testimonial.
• Health Assessments: Members can access a complimentary Health Risk Assessment with Health Connected, which offers in-depth reports, wellness resources, and referrals to relevant services.
• Personalized Medicine: Members with diabetes are more likely to have additional health concerns such as cardiac, gastrointestinal, and mental health issues that frequently require medication.* Pharmacogenetic testing helps identify the most effective medications with fewer side effects, reducing trial and error.
• Mental Wellness: People living with diabetes have higher rates of mental health challenges than those who do not have diabetes. While some people will adopt treatment approaches which include medication, many will use counselling instead of or in addition to medication.* Connected Care offers mental wellness options like live video therapy, text therapy, and internet-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (iCBT) to support emotional well-being.

Support for a variety of conditions

Connected Care also includes resources to support members with:

• Whole-Person Health: In addition to diabetes support, Connected Care offers resources for menopause, ADHD treatment and assessment and more, promoting a holistic approach to member health.
• Financial Wellness: Financial stress significantly impacts overall well-being. Connected Care now offers Kaira, a financial wellness app that provides personalized insights and coaching on financial habits, supporting members on their unique financial journeys.

Invest in wellness and prevention

Health coaching services, including the 360 Total Care program, are eligible for reimbursement under our Health Coaching and Chronic Disease Management Benefit, an Extended Health coverage. For plan sponsors not yet offering these benefits, please contact your Medavie Blue Cross representative to learn more about adding them.

*Source: Medavie Blue Cross claims data, 2023

Upcoming Group Administrator Support Sessions

We are excited to be continuing these monthly events with more educational sessions aimed to support Group Administrators in their daily role.

One-on-one Group Administrator support sessions will continue to be held in both English & French. Please feel free to reach out to your Designated Account Associate to set up a date and time that works best for you or choose dates listed in the link below.