Growing number of young Canadians with mental illness and diabetes, Manulife data shows

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Key results¹:

• The number of Canadians (18 to 34 years old) on long-term disability for mental illness has increased by 22% since 2019

• The number of Canadians (18 to 34 years old) submitting claims for mental health reasons has increased by 27% since 2021

• Canadians under 44 accounted for 19% of workers who submitted diabetes claims in 2022, up from 13% in 2019

TORONTO, November 17, 2022 /CNW/ – New health information from Manulife shows young Canadian workers are taking sick leave more frequently for mental health issues and a growing number of people are seeking treatment for diabetes.

“We are seeing disturbing trends among young Canadians, particularly in mental illness and diabetes,” says Ashish DesaiHead of Group Benefits for Manulife Canada. “To help employers, we’re giving them new information about their benefit plans, so they have better data to design their future employee health programs.” Companies can use this information to ensure that their benefits are structured appropriately to meet the growing needs of employees. Importantly, we are very focused on deploying digital experiences that help our customers leverage their benefit plans and get the right care, at the right time. »

According to Manulife Group Benefits claims data, the number of Canadian employees aged 18 to 34 on long-term disability for mental illness has increased 22% since 2019. reasons, including therapy , drugs and disability, has increased by 27% in the last year alone.

The story continues

Manulife’s health information also shows that more employees under the age of 44 are seeking treatment for diabetes than in the past. Those under 44 accounted for 19% of workers who submitted diabetes claims in 2022, up from 13% in 2019.

Manulife provides Health Insight reports to help employers customize their benefit plans

As one of the largest and oldest group insurance providers in CanadaManulife has valuable insights into millions of claims transactions each year, to help organizations identify, track and manage the growth of health issues facing Canadians and their families.

By providing comprehensive health information, Manulife’s experts can help employers tailor their benefits and wellness programs to the specific needs of their employees.

“Employers play an important role in the well-being of their workforce and it is more important than ever that they are aware of emerging health trends,” said Michel LanteigneVice-President Life and Disability, Manulife Group Insurance. “We’ve developed an innovative program that gives employers insight into key health trends, so they can provide the right wellness support, at the right time, in the right way.”

The program is currently available to select Manulife Group Benefits customers and will be rolled out to other large companies in 2023.

“It’s time to take the guesswork out of workforce wellness and deliver employee health solutions — by design“, explains Desai. “The benefits industry must innovate alongside employers and with other health sector partners to find new ways to improve the health of the workforce.”

About Manulife

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international provider of financial services that helps people make decisions easier and live better lives. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canadawe provide financial advice and insurance, trading as Manulife across Canada, Asiaand Europeand mainly as John Hancock in United States. Through Manulife Investment Management, the global brand for our global wealth and asset management business, we serve individuals, institutions and pension plan members around the world. By the end of 2021, we had over 38,000 employees, over 119,000 agents and thousands of distribution partners, serving over 33 million customers. Our main operations are in Asia and Canadaand United States, where we have been serving our customers for over 160 years. We trade as “MFC” on the Toronto, New Yorkand Philippine stock exchanges and under ‘945’ in hong kong. Over the past 12 months, we have made 32.7 billion Canadian dollars in payments to our customers.

Not all offers are available in all jurisdictions. For more information, visit Manulife.ca

SOURCE Manulife Financial Corporation

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