Beneva's 2025 Health Trends and Insights

Medical innovation highlights importance of sound group insurance plan management

QUEBEC CITY, April 15, 2025 /CNW/ - Beneva's 2025 Health Trends and Insights report, Connecting the Dots, points out the fact that although medical innovation is paving the way toward breakthrough treatments for obesity, Type 2 diabetes, Inflammatory Bowel Disease and cancer, it is also applying pressure on the financial sustainability of group insurance plans.

The challenge for insurers is to control plan costs without compromising insureds' access to care.

2025 Health Trends and Insights

• Rise of anti-obesity drugs: Since entering the Canadian market in May 2024, Beneva has reimbursed $10.2 million in claims for Wegovy. This amount could exceed $25 million in 2025.
• Proliferation of diabetes: The number of people suffering from Type 2 diabetes has grown steadily by almost 5% per year from 2015 to 2024. The average yearly claim cost of diabetics is nearly 3.7 times more than for non-diabetics ($3,300 compared to $900).
• Necessity of biosimilars: Remicade, the brand-name prescription medication used to treat Crohn's Disease, was the most in-demand drug in 2020. In 2024, it fell to 23rd on the list with the arrival of Renflexis, its biosimilar equivalent.
• Game-changing oncological advances: From 2014 to 2024, total spending on cancer therapies almost quadrupled and the average cost of treatment almost doubled from $7,800 to $14,700 over the same period.

To find out more, read Connecting The Dots.

Ensuring the sustainability of group insurance plans

For Beneva, striking a balancing between access to care, cost management and innovation is crucial.

"As a mutual insurance company, we want to offer our members peace of mind and optimize their access to healthcare. Beneva's success lies in keeping plan costs as low as feasibly possible. According to our experts, long-term plan sustainability can be achieved through an optimized drug management strategy as well as through our integrated and comprehensive health and wellness offer for plan sponsors," said Éric Trudel, Executive Vice-President of Group Insurance at Beneva.

In 2024, to better inform its members and partners, Beneva's experts began publishing an annual report on the latest health trends affecting the group insurance industry.

About Beneva

Created by the coming together of La Capitale and SSQ Insurance, Beneva is the largest insurance mutual in Canada with more than 3.5 million members and customers. Beneva employs over 5,500 dedicated employees: people looking out for people. Its human approach is rooted in mutualist values that are shared by its employees. With $25.1 billion in assets, Beneva positions itself as a major player in the insurance and financial services industry. Its head office is located in Quebec City. For more information, visit beneva.ca.

SOURCE Beneva

Information: Media Relations, 1 866 332-3806, [email protected]