Client Success Stories
SEE HOW WE’VE HELPED CANADIANS LIKE YOU
For over 40 years, Capital Estate Planning Corporation has been a trusted partner for Alberta businesses, teachers, and school board employees. We take pride in delivering measurable growth and security through our results-based digital marketing and financial advocacy.
When Premiums Keep Climbing, It’s Time to Rethink Your Plan
How Capital Planning Helped Edmonton West Primary Care Network Break A Cycle Of Rising Benefit Costs And Build A More Sustainable Program For Employees
For Edmonton West Primary Care Network, a benefits program that had once delivered value was becoming a source of financial pressure with no obvious fix. Here’s how Capital Planning changed that.
The Problem: Years of Premium Increases with No Clear End
When EWPCN moved to another benefits provider in 2019, the switch brought immediate cost savings and improved service. Costs dropped, service improved, and the benefits program was in good shape. Then, slowly, that changed.
Over the next three years, benefit costs climbed an average of 12% annually. Short-Term Disability premiums alone jumped from $87,000 to $145,000 — a 67% increase — mostly driven by short, frequent leaves that EWPCN wasn’t even backfilling. They were paying more and more for a program that was delivering less and less value.
Leadership recognized that negotiating a better renewal rate would not be enough. They needed a different approach to how the plan itself was structured.
The Solution: Redesign the Structure, Not Just the Rate
In late 2022, EWPCN brought Capital Planning in for a full review. The diagnosis was clear: this wasn’t a pricing problem. It was a structural one. So instead of hunting for a better rate, Capital Planning recommended rebuilding how the plan worked from the ground up.
Three changes made the biggest difference:
- Insured Short-Term Disability was out. In its place: a salary continuance model with a third party handling adjudication. No more runaway premiums.
- Health and Dental moved to an Administrative Services Only (ASO) model with stop-loss protection. Lower admin fees, better cost predictability, more control.
- A Health Spending Account (HSA) was added so employees could actually benefit from the savings — putting more choice and flexibility directly in their hands.
One thing that didn’t change: the 80/20 cost split between employer and employee. The goal was never to pass costs down. It was to manage them smarter.
The Results: Costs Stabilized, Employees Felt Better Supported
By the end of Fiscal 2023, the numbers told the story. Total benefit costs relative to payroll peaked and started coming down. Health and Dental cost-to-wage ratios followed the same trend — reversing years of steady increases.
But the wins weren’t just financial:
- Employees on short-term leave now get full income continuance instead of a reduced payout. That’s a real difference when someone’s already dealing with something difficult.
- The case management approach landed well. Employees on leave received better, more structured support to help them get back to work. And the employer is kept in the loop as well.
- The HSA gave people flexibility they hadn’t had before. EWPCN is already looking at ways to build on it.
Edmonton West Primary Care Network originally set out to control costs, but without cutting support. With Capital Planning’s help, they accomplished both!
The Broader Lesson
This kind of cost creep is common. Many Alberta employers absorb annual benefit increases year after year, assuming it’s just the cost of doing business. It doesn’t have to be.
For EWPCN, the answer wasn’t a better insurer or trimmed-down coverage. It was a plan redesigned around how the organization actually works. That’s the kind of review Capital Planning does, and it’s often where the biggest gains are hiding.
What Primary Care Network Is Saying About Us
About Capital Planning
For more than 40 years, our local Alberta-based team has helped Canadian organizations feel more supported, more informed, and more confident in their future, whether they’re choosing plans for a team or planning for themselves.
We listen first, then we help. And when plans change or life gets complicated? We’re still here to help you adjust if needed.
Ready to Achieve Your Own Success Story?
Our team is ready to analyze your current situation and design a comprehensive plan that delivers results. Submit the form to ask a question or to schedule a complimentary consultation!