Nothing in a typical benefits booklet announces that coverage has shrunk. The plan still pays 80% or 100% of eligible claims, the maximums printed on the summary page look the same as last year, and the renewal conversation is usually about cost. Yet a maximum that doesn't move can still buy less over time, and that quiet erosion is the question worth asking about Canadian employer health and insurance benefits. The evidence supports a careful answer rather than a dramatic one. Public data show that dental and extended health costs are rising, and in some categories rising faster than general inflation. They also show that at least one large plan sponsor, the federal government, has raised many of its maximums in a deliberate and measurable way. What the public record doesn't contain is a longitudinal, national picture of how private employer plan maximums have changed. Without that, nobody can honestly say that Canadian employer benefits as a whole have failed to keep pace.
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