'We're seeing a greater focus on the individual'
Change is coming to the benefits space in the months, as the Canadian healthcare system continues to evolve at an unprecedented rate. Speaking with Tim Clarke, president at TC Health Consulting, he tells BPM that there’s been a significant paradigm shift of late.
“We’re seeing a greater focus on the individual, with care increasingly delivered in non-traditional settings,” he explains. “Whether it's through virtual consultations or health apps on smartphones, the methods of delivering healthcare services are evolving rapidly.”
According to data from Statista, in 2024, there were over 116 million users of online doctor consultations worldwide - up from approximately 57 million in 2019. Employers now face the challenge of balancing traditional in-person healthcare services with these emerging trends.
“The shift from public health to employer health is significant,” Clarke adds. “Employers now have more responsibilities as the delivery of healthcare changes, demanding quick adaptation to support their employees effectively. With a diverse population comes the need for diverse healthcare solutions. Employers must support employees in the way they prefer to receive care, whether it’s through a phone app, a video call, or in-person visits.”
This approach aligns with the broader trend toward patient-centric care, where the focus is on delivering healthcare in a manner that best suits the individual’s needs. And, according to Clarke, the successful health plans are those that can adapt to the unique preferences and circumstances of each employee – as well as adapting to upcoming trends. The future of employee benefits, according to Clarke, lies in navigating the explosion of new solutions and innovations in health benefits and insurance.
“[The] large number of new solutions and new ways of doing things… quite frankly it’s almost overwhelming at times. We’ve always had new products coming to market but now it’s across your solutions. The number of mental health apps out there, the number of digital health solutions, has exploded very dramatically. What an employer needs to think about is how we bring all that to bear in a way that allows individuals the choice in how they want to receive their care.”
One of the most pressing issues Clarke identified is balancing cost and care, especially with the introduction of new, expensive treatments. He uses the example of GLP-1 drugs, often used for weight loss, to illustrate this challenge.
“We’re blessed to live in a world where technology can provide more healthcare than the system can afford. If someone is doing everything they can to manage their weight, then the employer should be willing to support their use of GLP-1 drugs.” This approach mirrors practices in disability case management, where benefits are contingent on the individual’s proactive participation in their treatment.
Clarke also touched upon the complexities of navigating the healthcare ecosystem for both innovators and employers.
“Many tech innovators don’t fully understand how benefits and insurance work,” he says. “Our goal is to help them succeed by providing insight into how the system operates. Lots of people think of health and wellness as a target market – very few people think of disability as a target market. [However], from an insurance ROI perspective, if a tool or technology can help someone get back to work, there's a huge return on investment there. A lot of people would rather keep the healthy people healthy, but there’s certainly an ROI for business there – though it's a lot harder to identify.”
Clarke also discussed the necessity for employers to embrace a flexible, patient-centric approach to healthcare delivery. This involves understanding and adapting to the rapidly evolving landscape of healthcare technologies and methodologies.
“The diversity of needs [demands a] diversity solutions,” explains Clarke. “Meaning that what works for someone on their phone may work for somebody else on a video call or somebody else in person. It all comes back to the patient centric [element] – that care is delivered in a way that works best for [the individual]. And so therefore, as a as a health system, as an employer, you need to support that person in the way they want their care delivered - not necessarily the way you want it delivered.”
