How Employers Can Help Tackle the Chronic Disease Epidemic
Posted by Medavie Blue Cross on September 16, 2025
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Posted by Medavie Blue Cross on September 16, 2025
Posted by Medavie Blue Cross on September 16, 2025
Chronic conditions like diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure and cholesterol continue to be significant drivers of health benefit plan spending.
The 2024 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey survey reveals a widespread presence of chronic conditions within the Canadian workforce, affecting productivity and employee well-being. The survey found that 58% of plan members have been diagnosed and are currently living with at least one chronic condition, up slightly from 54% in 2023, and increasing to 72% among plan members aged 55 and older.
The survey also indicates that while employers are improving their support, there is still a significant gap in meeting the needs of plan members, especially those with chronic health issues.
To help employers narrow this gap, we’ve compiled this list of top ways employees can prevent and manage chronic conditions, improve productivity, and bring related costs under control.
Reimburse employees for the services of a health coach to help them gain the knowledge — and the confidence — to take charge of their chronic health condition.**
Make employee health and wellness a primary focus of your workplace education and communication activities, from town halls to internal newsletters. Also, use your various internal channels, be it an intranet site or online forum, to regularly communicate the features and advantages of your benefits plan.
Take a good look at your plan, supported by data analysis, to determine if it sufficiently meets your employees' health and wellness needs. Are there risks or gaps where chronic disease is concerned? If so, it may be time to minimize those risks and fill in those gaps.
Reimburse employees for the services of a health coach to help them gain the knowledge — and the confidence — to take charge of their chronic health condition.**
Make employee health and wellness a primary focus of your workplace education and communication activities, from town halls to internal newsletters. Also, use your various internal channels, be it an intranet site or online forum, to regularly communicate the features and advantages of your benefits plan.
Take a good look at your plan, supported by data analysis, to determine if it sufficiently meets your employees' health and wellness needs. Are there risks or gaps where chronic disease is concerned? If so, it may be time to minimize those risks and fill in those gaps.
Focus on developing a culture that positions your workplace as a positive, supportive environment. Employees will respond positively to an employer that goes above and beyond to meet their health and wellness needs. This can involve topping up your plans to offer health spending and personal wellness accounts to give them a choice in how they look after their wellbeing.
Take preventative measures to delay the onset of chronic diseases and build mental resilience through management training, wellness webinars, online yoga and meditation classes, healthy snack options and more.
Consider an investment in virtual health care services, which enable Canadians to connect with medical professionals for diagnosis and treatment through video calls, instant messaging, and internet-connected medical devices.***
Explore new technologies that can help employees navigate the health care system and stay well. This can be as simple reimbursing employees for the purchase of a wearable device like a Fitbit.
Focus on developing a culture that positions your workplace as a positive, supportive environment. Employees will respond positively to an employer that goes above and beyond to meet their health and wellness needs. This can involve topping up your plans to offer health spending and personal wellness accounts to give them a choice in how they look after their wellbeing.
Take preventative measures to delay the onset of chronic diseases and build mental resilience through management training, wellness webinars, online yoga and meditation classes, healthy snack options and more.
Consider an investment in virtual health care services, which enable Canadians to connect with medical professionals for diagnosis and treatment through video calls, instant messaging, and internet-connected medical devices.***
Explore new technologies that can help employees navigate the health care system and stay well. This can be as simple reimbursing employees for the purchase of a wearable device like a Fitbit.
Mobile apps are another high return on low investment that can help employees lower risk factors and take their drugs as described. Our mobile app has built-in functionality to help those claimants manage their medication.
*Our claims data mirrors the Benefits Canada Health Care Survey results.
We’ve proactively responded to our data insights and trends analysis to become a leader in Canada’s health insurance industry in helping employers and their employees address this costly health challenge.
**Medavie Blue Cross was the first Canadian carrier to market with a digital program that empowers plan members to take charge of their condition with all-in-one, exclusive access to real-time support from a team of health coaches and home delivery of testing supplies.
Our organization was the first in Canada to introduce the Health Coaching and Chronic Disease Management benefit, which connects plan members with Certified Diabetes Educators (CDEs) in their communities to gain the knowledge and confidence they need to self-manage their condition. We were also among the first Canadian insurers to add Glucose Monitoring Systems (GMS) as a standard on benefit plans.
*** Our Connected Care digital health and wellness centre offers a comprehensive suite of services, including live and internet-enabled Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (digital therapy), text therapy, personalized medicine (pharmacogenetic testing), online doctors (virtual doctor visits, virtual physio (online rehabilitation), a mindfulness app for training programs and guided meditations and our chronic disease management app for coaching.
For more information on these programs, visit medaviebc.ca and speak to your account representative about how you can protect the health of your employees and contain your costs.