The MIG Brief

Insights for Canadian Employers

Clear-eyed, evidence-led writing on group benefits, drug trends, talent, and the decisions that quietly shape what your plan costs and delivers.

7 Surprising Facts About the Insurance World

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Fun Facts 3 min read

7 Surprising Facts About the Insurance World

A few delightfully nerdy, true tidbits about where insurance and employee benefits came from — and how they quietly work behind the scenes in Canada.

Michelle Bryant

August 18, 2026

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Benefits Strategy 7 min

Your Broker Keeps Chasing Premium. The Real Leak Is Disability Drift.

Most mid-market employers scrutinize health and drug renewals while disability costs quietly harden in the background. Here’s the overlooked reason benefits budgets swell — and what Canadian employers can do about it before the next renewal cycle.

Michelle Bryant

July 21, 2026

Benefits Strategy 7 min

Your Renewal Is Not Your Strategy: Why Mid-Market Employers Need a Benefits Governance Rhythm

Most mid-market employers treat benefits as an annual renewal event. That is exactly why costs creep, decisions feel reactive, and plans drift away from workforce needs. A simple governance rhythm can change that — and give HR and finance better control without cutting value.

Michelle Bryant

July 14, 2026

Cost Management 9 min

Your 2026 Renewal Is About to Hurt — Here's Exactly How Much, and How to Take the Sting Out

Canadian group benefits are trending 7–12% higher this year. But a meaningful slice of your increase isn't medical inflation at all — it's negotiating posture. Here's how to tell the difference.

Michelle Bryant

June 10, 2026

Education with Michelle 6 min

Deductibles, Co-Insurance & Co-Pays: What You Actually Pay, Explained

Why a $120 physio visit can still cost you $24 at the desk. The three small mechanisms that quietly decide how every bill gets split between you and your plan — walked through one prescription at a time.

Michelle Bryant

June 9, 2026

Education with Michelle 6 min

The Plain-English Benefits Glossary: Every Term on Your Booklet, Decoded

Coordination of benefits. Reasonable and customary. Paramedical. Your booklet is full of words that sound obvious and absolutely are not. Here's your decoder ring, grouped the way you'll actually meet them.

Michelle Bryant

June 8, 2026

Education with Michelle 7 min

What Every Ontarian Should Know About Their Benefits (OHIP vs. Your Plan)

You actually have two kinds of health coverage doing different jobs. Where OHIP stops and your workplace plan begins — plus the OHIP+, Trillium, and travel details that quietly save Ontarians money.

Michelle Bryant

June 7, 2026

Education with Michelle 6 min

How to Actually Use Your Benefits: Claims, Direct Billing & Reading Your EOB

Having benefits and using them are two different skills. How to stop paying full price at the dentist, submit a claim in ninety seconds, read an EOB without dread, and fix a denial when it happens.

Michelle Bryant

June 6, 2026

Education with Michelle 7 min

Drug Coverage & Formularies: Why Your Pharmacy Bill Is What It Is

"Not on the plan" almost never means what it sounds like. How formularies, generics, and prior authorization really work — and the path to getting the medication you need covered.

Michelle Bryant

June 5, 2026

Education with Michelle 7 min

HSA vs. Traditional Benefits: Which Actually Saves You Money?

A Health Spending Account works on completely different logic than a traditional plan — and the tax treatment is a quiet superpower. When each one wins, and why the best setups use both.

Michelle Bryant

June 4, 2026

Mental Health 8 min

Mental Health Claims Just Jumped 16% — Why Your $750–$1,000 Limit Is No Longer Enough

A rising mental-health claims line isn't a workforce in trouble — it's often suppressed demand finally surfacing. The question isn't how to suppress the cost. It's how to fund it intelligently.

Michelle Bryant

May 27, 2026

Plan Design 8 min

The End of One-Size-Fits-All: How Smart Canadian SMEs Are Building Personalized Plans in 2026

Five generations now share the workforce, and the 'average employee' a standard plan was built for no longer exists. Flexibility doesn't have to cost more — it just allocates better.

Michelle Bryant

May 13, 2026

Drug Coverage 8 min

Should Your Benefits Cover Ozempic & Weight-Loss Drugs? The 2026 Canadian Employer Playbook

GLP-1s have rewired Canadian drug spending almost overnight. The real choice isn't 'cover everything' or 'cover nothing' — it's how to cover the treatment while controlling the spend.

Michelle Bryant

April 29, 2026

Talent & Retention 8 min

Talent War 2026: The 5 Benefits That Actually Make Canadian Candidates Say 'Yes'

When two offers have nearly identical salaries, candidates scroll down to the benefits — and that's where the offer is won or lost. Here are the five categories that consistently decide it.

Michelle Bryant

April 15, 2026

Public Programs 8 min

CDCP Dental + Pharmacare Ripple Effects: What Every Canadian Employer Needs to Know Before Renewal

Federal programs are redrawing the line between public and private coverage for the first time in a generation. Handled well, that's not a threat — it's a chance to deliver more for the same spend.

Michelle Bryant

March 25, 2026

Family Benefits 8 min

Women's Health & Family Benefits Are the New Competitive Edge — Here's What Winners Are Doing

Fertility, menopause, adoption, surrogacy, postpartum support: the highest-impact additions tend to be low-cost and high-signal — coverage that tells employees you actually see their lives.

Michelle Bryant

March 11, 2026

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