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Strides are constantly being made in the group benefits industry to better support employers who can then better support their employees. In this episode, Lorne Curry sits down with Dave Patriarche, founder of Canadian Group Insurance Brokers (CGIB), as they talk about a new program that CGIB is offering. Dave saw a need in the industry to provide more specific technical training geared towards the complexities of group benefits, and speaks about how he addressed this need. Dave discusses:  Why CGIB felt the need to create a pooled hybrid plan, and why they thought employers needed it How a pooled program works to better protect employers and employees Why CGIB chose to partner with Benefits by Design to implement their program How the program works and compares to a traditional benefit program And more Resources:  Group Benefits headquarters  Episode 3: A Look at the Funding Models Episode 12: Controlling the Costs of Drug Plans Connect With Dave Patriarche: info@cgib.ca (905) 886-9203 Canadian Group Insurance Brokers LinkedIn: Dave Patriarche Connect With Lorne Curry (705)-749-1131 1-(866) 445-4424 Curry Financial Group LinkedIn: Lorne Curry

Sometimes being able to access information from another perspective can help you understand it better. In this episode, Lorne Curry invites Mike McClenahan, VP of Partner Solutions with People Corporation and president of TPAAC, onto the show. Lorne and Mike discuss various aspects of group benefits to get Mike’s unique perspective from the supplier side. Mike discusses:  High prescription drug costs and the trend of more employers putting a cap on spending Stop-loss and pooling levels in group benefits The recent trend of telemedicine taking on more popularity And more Resources:  Group Benefits headquarters  Connect With Mike McClenahan: People Corporation TPAAC LinkedIn: Mike McClanahan  LinkedIn: People Corporation Connect With Lorne Curry (705)-749-1131 1-(866) 445-4424 Curry Financial Group LinkedIn: Lorne Curry

Does a service that addresses both physical and mental health and offers coverage to your entire immediate family — sound too good to be true? In this episode, Lorne Curry sits down with Isabelle Moreau, senior client executive with Teladoc Health, as they discuss the services Best Doctors/Teladoc Health has to offer. Isabelle shares some shocking statistics about both mental and physical health and how Best Doctors/Teladoc Health aims to address them. Isabelle discusses:  What the Best Doctors/Teladoc Health program is and how it helps people How Teladoc’s mental health program assists individuals to get access to the help they need The physical health services provided by Best Doctors/Teladoc Health Who is eligible to take advantage of the Best Doctors/Teladoc Health services  And more Resources:  Group Benefits headquarters  Episode 8: The Benefits of the Virtual Doctors Office Episode 16: What to Know About Travel Insurance Before Your Travel Connect With Isabelle Moreau: Teladoc Health LinkedIn: Isabelle Moreau Connect With Lorne Curry (705)-749-1131 1-(866) 445-4424 Curry Financial Group LinkedIn: Lorne Curry About Our Guest: Isabelle is passionate about building customer relationships and excels at client retention through responsiveness, providing innovative health and wellness initiatives and significant organizational and problem solving strategies. Isabelle specializes in organizational and management consulting, needs assessment, business development, relationship building and customer retention.

As the world begins to open up and allow for more travel, it is important to fully understand how travel insurance works to protect you while you are away. In this episode, Lorne Curry speaks about how travel insurance fits into employee benefit programs. Lorne teaches you about what travel insurance covers and how the rules and regulations of travel insurance might be changing as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Lorne discusses:  How to determine what will and will not be covered by travel insurance 4 Tips to follow when you travel Travel insurance when travelling within Canada Telemedicine when you are travelling and how it fits into travel insurance And more Resources:  Group Benefits headquarters  7. The Benefits of the Virtual Doctors Office Connect With Lorne Curry (705)-749-1131 1-(866) 445-4424 Curry Financial Group LinkedIn: Lorne Curry

When you and your spouse both have access to benefit plans, you can coordinate them to gain coverage from both insurance companies. In this episode, Lorne Curry educates you about how coordinating benefits with your spouse works. Lorne touches on the rules that exist when coordinating benefits and speaks about when you might and might not coordinate with your spouse. Lorne discusses:  How to set up coordination of benefits How to determine whose plan pays for what portion of coverage How coordination of benefits works with common-law relationships, separations and divorces What happens to coordinated benefits when one spouse loses their job And more Resources:  Group Benefits headquarters  Episode 5: The Health Care Spending Account Connect With Lorne Curry (705) 749-1131 1-(866) 445-4424 Curry Financial Group LinkedIn: Lorne Curry

Being able to show your employees exactly what they are getting in their compensation package could be the key in attracting and retaining good employees. In this episode, Lorne Curry helps you understand what a total compensation statement is, and why it is important to use them for your employees. Lorne discusses how to create a statement so you can help your employees understand the benefits they are receiving. Lorne discusses:  The four main reasons you should be providing total compensation statements for your employees What you should be including in your statements How often you should be providing statements to your employees Negative consequences for not properly creating total compensation statements And more Resources:  Group Benefits headquarters  Connect With Lorne Curry (705)-749-1131 Curry Financial Group LinkedIn: Lorne Curry

There is often a disconnect between employees and employers when it comes to needing assistance with substance use. The stigma involved creates a barrier that blocks the employee from reaching out and finding help. Luckily, there is a confidential program that exists so employers can help not only their employees, but their employee’s families as well. In this episode, Lorne Curry invites Elliot Stone, CEO and co-founder of ALAViDa onto the show. Lorne and Elliot speak about the ALAViDA program and how it works to assist employers and employees. Elliot discusses:  How ALAViDA provides virtual care for all substances How the ALAViDA program works Using ALAViDA with employee assistance programs Challenges that companies face in changing their approach to substance use And more Resources:  Group Benefits headquarters  Connect With Elliot Stone: ALAViDA LinkedIn: Elliot Stone Connect With Lorne Curry (705)-749-1131 Curry Financial Group LinkedIn: Lorne Curry About Our Guest: Elliot brings a new perspective to the world of addiction medicine. After tireless research into alternatives to conventional alcohol treatment, Elliot pulled together world leading clinicians and researchers to create a treatment experience that puts the patient first. He brings a focused direction to providing evidence-based, collaborative care in a non-judgmental environment.

When you begin to look at the drug landscape, pricing can get tricky. It’s helpful to work with someone who can assist you in creating plans based on your own unique goals.  In this episode, Lorne Curry dives into the topic of employee drug plans and how the costs of prescription drugs can be managed. Lorne helps employers understand their options when it comes to funding these plans by looking at 3 main scenarios. Lorne discusses:  Questions that employers need to answer before creating a drug plan Three ways that a drug plan can be funded by an employer Setting caps on what the employer will pay for prescriptions within a plan And more Resources:  Group Benefits headquarters  Episode 9: Understanding Drug Benefit Plans Connect With Lorne Curry (705)-749-1131 Curry Financial Group LinkedIn: Lorne Curry

We have introduced you to the healthcare spending account, but did you know there is a wellness spending account that can add benefits to things like gym memberships? In this episode, Lorne Curry sits down with TIm Kane, CEO of myHSA, as they talk about myHSA’s offering of the wellness spending account (WSA). Tim talks about how this account works and the types of benefits he has seen employers add to it.  Tim discusses:  Why he started myHSA and what they offer What inspired the introduction of the WSA as a part of the myHSA offerings Who can take advantage of the WSA How the WSA works in junction with other accounts and how it is customizable And more Resources:  Group Benefits headquarters  Episode 5: The Advantage of Health Care Spending Accounts Connect With Tim Kane: support@getmyhsa.com  myHSA LinkedIn: Tim Kane Connect With Lorne Curry (705)-749-1131 Curry Financial Group LinkedIn: Lorne Curry About Our Guest: Tim built a technology company focused around what he felt the employee benefits insurance industry had been missing. At myHSA Tim builds technology for insurance advisors to offer their clients. Tim provides the “fringe” benefit programs in coordination with insurance products.

There are lots of things to take into account when you are shopping for a benefit plan that is going to suit you and your goals.  In this episode, Lorne Curry teaches you what goes into marketing your benefit. Lorne helps you identify what you need to know about this process and emphasizes the importance of working with someone you trust.  In this episode, you will learn: How often you should be shopping for benefits   Why you should limit yourself to working with one advisor that you trust  How to select the right plan for your needs  Important factors to consider when comparing quotes from insurance carriers And more! Tune in now to learn the importance of understanding the shopping for benefits process!  Resources: Lorne Curry | Curry Financial Group | Group Benefits headquarters

When it comes to benefit planning, the drug landscape opens up a lot of questions, and it is not always easy to find the answers on your own.  In this episode, Lorne Curry welcomes Martin Chung, assistant vice president of strategic health management at Equitable Life of Canada, to the show as they dive into … Continue reading Episode 9 – Understanding Drug Benefit Plans – with guest Martin Chung →

Sitting in a waiting room at the Doctor’s office or Emergency Room can take hours! Thanks to virtual Doctor’s Offices, that wait time can be shortened to as little as twenty minutes!  In this episode, Lorne Curry discusses the benefits of virtual healthcare and how Canadians are responding to it. Lorne touches on how this … Continue reading Episode 8 – The Benefits of the Virtual Doctor’s Office →

If you have ever wondered how long-term disability works, or who is eligible for it, this is the episode for you!  In this episode, Lorne Curry sits down with his very first guest, Sheila Karras of Empire Life, as they take a look at long-term disability. With Sheila’s work in insurance, she helps answer some … Continue reading Episode 7 – Answering Common Questions about Long-Term Disability – with guest Sheila Karras →

Did you know that there are risks involved with some decisions you make when it comes to benefit plans?  In this episode, Lorne Curry talks about some of the most common risks that are associated with benefit planning as it relates to the employer. Lorne offers some of his personal advice as to how you … Continue reading Episode 6 – The Risks Associated with Benefit Plans →

A Health Care Spending Account works similarly to a bank account, it allows you to top up on your regular group benefit programs!  In this episode, Lorne Curry helps you better understand how Health Care Spending Accounts (HCSA) work, and the benefits of using them. Lorne discusses how these plans can differ from typical group … Continue reading Episode 5 – The Advantage of Health Care Spending Accounts →

At Curry Financial Group, we see benefits as a part of an employee’s compensation. There are things you can be doing with your benefits to leave money in your pocket and your employee’s pocket at the end of the day!  In this episode, Lorne Curry discusses how taxation works when it comes to benefit planning … Continue reading Episode 4 – Understanding Taxation on Benefit Programs →

When it comes to setting up your benefit plans, there are actually three different funding models that could be used to fit the needs of your company.  In this episode, Lorne Curry compares the three different funding models that are used when setting up group benefit plans and how each of them differ. Lorne talks … Continue reading Episode 3 – A Look at the Funding Models →

Ensuring that every client finds a benefit plan that suits their needs and is always working in their favour is at the top of priority for Curry Financial Group. In this episode, Lorne Curry discusses the 5 step process that he goes through with clients to ensure that they are getting the right benefit plan … Continue reading Episode 2 – The 5 Steps to Working With Curry Financial Group →

Welcome to The Benefits of Knowledge! A podcast aimed at helping educate business owners and companies on group benefits!  In this debut episode, Lorne Curry of Curry Financial group! Kicks off his podcast by sharing how he got into financial services and who he works with. Lorne allows you to get to know him, what … Continue reading Episode 1 – Welcome to The Benefits of Knowledge with your host Lorne Curry →