Health insurance in Manitoba 101
Manitoba’s public health programs cover many services — but not everything. Private health plans (starting around $100/month with PolicyMe, for example) are a good way for Manitobans to supplement the provincial program to expand coverage and save money on out-of-pocket costs for vision, dental, prescription drug, and paramedical care.
What’s covered by the government: The Manitoba Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care (MHSAL) plan covers all medically necessary doctor and hospital services for residents.
It also includes some dental and vision care for children, and certain prescription drugs and supplies for seniors through the Manitoba Pharmacare program. People with disabilities may qualify for coverage on medical equipment and supplies through provincial assistance programs.
What’s not: But if you don’t have extra medical coverage through social assistance or an employer’s benefits plan, you’ll likely need private health insurance to help pay for prescription drugs, dental care, vision care, and paramedical services (like physiotherapy, chiropractic, and massage therapy).
While public health insurance covers essentials for eligible residents, most Manitobans probably still face gaps or caps for vision, dental, drug, and paramedical care. Private health plans are a smart supplement, with custom coverage to specifically cover the gaps in Manitoba’s provincial plans.
What’s the best health insurance in Manitoba?
Residents of Manitoba have access to a wide range of healthcare options, from the province’s public health care plan to group and private medical insurance. Because the Manitoba Health Services Insurance Plan (MHSIP) primarily covers medically-necessary physician and hospital care for you and your family members, most households in Manitoba have outstanding medical expenses that are best covered by personal health insurance.
To find the best private health insurance options in Manitoba, we took a close look at plans from dozens of leading insurers in Canada. When evaluating insurance plans, we prioritized three key metrics:
- Customer service: We took Google reviews, Better Business Bureau Scores, and ratings from Trustpilot and Insureye into account when evaluating how well each company handles customer questions.
- Value for money: We weighed the value of each plan’s coverage against the combined cost of premiums, copays, and deductibles to find options with the best value for Manitobans.
- Financial stability: The best health insurers are those that can pay reliably, so we checked A.M. Best ratings as well as scores from Morningstar BRS and S&P Global.
Based on these areas of focus, we identified three health care plans that offer a good mix of insured benefits and reasonable costs for residents of Manitoba, from Winnipeg to Thompson (and beyond!):
* Premiums reflect the approximate monthly cost for an 18-year-old adult living in Alberta as of December 2025.
Methodology
PolicyMe’s rankings are based on an independent, data-driven review of Canada's leading health and dental insurance products and providers. Our analysis draws on 1,700+ quotes covering 50+ health insurance products from the seven biggest providers in Canada, sourced from official product websites and supplemented with customer ratings from Google.
To improve the accuracy of our recommendations and cost comparisons, we grouped plans into multiple categories based on coverage, pricing, and eligibility requirements. We assessed plans across four coverage categories:
- Complete plans provide both prescription drug and dental coverage.
- No dental plans do not include dental coverage.
- No drug plans do not include prescription drug coverage.
- High drug plans provide at least $90,000 in prescription drug coverage per year.
Plans were also grouped into three pricing tiers:
- Basic plans offer the lowest level of coverage and the lowest premiums within a given product series.
- Mid plans provide more coverage than basic plans, at a lower cost than premium plans.
- Premium plans offer the highest or second-highest level of coverage and carry the highest or second-highest premiums within a product series.
Finally, we categorized plans based on eligibility requirements:
- Guaranteed plans require permanent Canadian residency and enrollment in the public health insurance plan of the applicant’s home province.
- Replacement plans have the same requirements as guaranteed plans, but are only available to applicants who are leaving, or have recently left (within the past year), an employer group benefits plan.
- Underwritten plans share the requirements of guaranteed plans and may require applicants to complete a health questionnaire or undergo a medical exam for underwriting purposes.
1. Guaranteed Issue Classic from PolicyMe
* Premiums reflect the approximate monthly cost for an 18-year-old adult living in Manitoba.
Our expert take: PolicyMe’s Classic plan combines affordability with robust coverage. Key advantages of this plan include a high reimbursement rate for paramedical services and mental health care, along with excellent insured benefits for ambulance services and most dental care.
Available products from PolicyMe:
- Guaranteed Economic, Classic, and Advanced: A series of guaranteed health insurance plans with comprehensive coverage for prescription drugs, dental care, and more
- Dental Care: A guaranteed health insurance plan with no coverage for prescription drugs
- Protect Economic, Classic, and Advanced: A series of replacement health insurance plans with comprehensive coverage for prescription drugs, dental care, and more
2. ZONE 5 (Choice) from GreenShield
* Premiums reflect the approximate monthly cost for an 18-year-old adult living in Manitoba.
Our expert take: GreenShield’s ZONE 5 (Choice) plan may be a good option for seniors, frequent travelers, or anyone in search of an affordable plan to supplement Manitoba Health Services Insurance. Prescription drugs, dental care, and mental health services are weak spots for this plan, but emergency dental and travel coverage are competitive.
Available products from GreenShield:
- LINK 1, 2, 3, and 4: A series of replacement health insurance plans with complete and no-dental options.
- ZONE 1, 2, and 3 and Zone Fundamental: A series of guaranteed health insurance plans with complete and no-drug options.
ZONE 4, 5, 6, and 7: A series of underwritten health insurance plans with complete and no-dental options.
3. Health Insurance Plan with Dental Insurance from ScotiaLife
* Premiums reflect the approximate monthly cost for an 18-year-old adult living in Manitoba.
Our expert take: The biggest drawback of ScotiaLife’s health insurance plan is that it’s only available to Scotiabank customers. If you’re in that group, however, it’s an excellent option for those in search of low-priced, straightforward health coverage to supplement existing benefits.
Available products from ScotiaLife:
Health Insurance Plan: A guaranteed no-dental health insurance plan with a single dental option available only to Scotiabank customers, their spouses, and dependent children
4. ComboPlus Basic Plan from Manulife
* Premiums reflect the approximate monthly cost for an 18-year-old adult living in Manitoba.
Our expert take: Manulife offers a wide range of private health and dental insurance plans. We think the ComboPlus Basic plan offers the best value for money for families in Manitoba, with particularly strong dental and mental health coverage and a surprisingly long list of customization options to tailor your coverage to your personal needs.
Available products from Manulife:
- Flexcare ComboPlus Starter, Basic, and Enhanced Plan: A series of complete health insurance plans with guaranteed options.
- Flexcare DentalPlus Basic and Enhanced Plan: A pair of guaranteed, no-drug health insurance plans.
- Flexcare DrugPlus Basic and Enhanced Plan: A pair of no-dental health insurance plans.
- FollowMe Basic, Enhanced, Enhanced Plus, and Premiere Plan: A series of complete replacement health insurance plans.
- Guaranteed Issue Enhanced: A complete, premium health insurance plan with guaranteed acceptance.
5. ExtendaPlan with Basic Prescription Drugs and Dental Care from GMS
* Premiums reflect the approximate monthly cost for an 18-year-old adult living in Manitoba.
Our expert take: The ExtendaPlan from GMS is a good budget pick that’s better for prescription drug coverage than for dental services. If you don’t visit paramedical professionals often and just want a few counseling sessions a year when it comes to mental health coverage, the ExtendaPlan could be a good fit.
Available products from GMS:
- BasicPlan, ExtendaPlan, and OmniPlan: A series of guaranteed, no-drug health insurance plans with complete coverage options.
- EssentialPlan, ChoicePlan, and PremierPlan: A series of replacement health insurance plans with no-drug and complete coverage options.
Compare the top 3 health insurance plans in Manitoba
* Premiums reflect the approximate monthly cost for an 18-year-old adult living in Manitoba.
How much does health insurance in Manitoba cost?
Data from Statistics Canada show that households in Manitoba spent an average of $623 on private health and dental insurance premiums in 2023. That’s about $52 per month
The same data shows that in the same year, Manitobans spent an average of $2,482 on out-of-pocket medical expenses in 2023 — nearly four times what they spent on health insurance. That’s a little over 6% more than the nationwide average of $2,332.
With healthcare expenditures outweighing the cost of coverage so heavily, how much could you save by buying private health insurance in Manitoba? Based on PolicyMe’s internal analysis of average out-of-pocket costs and coverage levels, the Guaranteed Issue Classic plan could help a typical household in Manitoba save around $1,550 per year in medical expenses not covered by provincial health insurance.
As for what you’ll pay, here’s a comparison of monthly health insurance quotes for the top 3 health insurance policies in Manitoba:
* Prices reflect the approximate costs for residents in the relevant age group in Manitoba. These quotes were collected December 20th, 2025. Your own quotes may differ.
What does the Manitoba Health Services Insurance Plan cover?
Manitoba’s Health Services Insurance Plan (MHSIP) covers medically necessary care for all residents of Manitoba and their dependents. You’re eligible for insured care if you’ve been physically present in Manitoba for 183 days in a calendar year.
If you have a valid Manitoba Health Card, you’re covered for:
Your MHSIP coverage applies if you have a hospital stay or require emergency medical treatment in most other provinces (except for Quebec). If you’re outside of the country, you will have partial coverage for doctor’s visits and hospital bills, but you may have financial responsibilities on top of what Manitoba Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care will pay.
The table below breaks down key areas of coverage under the MHSIP, as well as who is eligible for coverage.
The province also offers the following extended health benefits for Manitobans with low income:
How to find the best health insurance for you
Everyone’s health insurance needs are different — but it’s not hard to find the plan that best fits your unique needs. Find a free hour and do the following:
- Review your current coverage: Are you maximizing the coverage offered by Manitoba's provincial health plan? If you have access to healthcare benefits through your employer, read the details of your coverage carefully to make sure that you’re taking advantage of what’s on offer.
- Calculate your current spending: Think about what you spend out-of-pocket on medical care in one year. How much are you paying on a regular basis for dental care, prescriptions, medical equipment, glasses or contact lenses, and other things not covered by MHSIP?
- Identify and measure your coverage gap: Here’s the critical step: Compare what’s covered by your current insurance with what you’re spending out of pocket. Take note of both the total healthcare costs that your current coverage won’t touch and the types of medical care you need covered.
- Research health insurance companies: Now it’s time to look for a plan. You can use PolicyMe’s recommendations for Manitoba as a starting point or talk to friends and family members about their coverage. Keep your price point and coverage priorities in mind as you compare plan details. Take time to review the coverage and exclusions of each plan to make sure it’s a good fit.
- Request health insurance quotes: Once you’ve found a few plans that seem like a good fit, request health insurance quotes for those plans. Look for quotes that are lower than the monthly cost of the coverage gap you’ve calculated.
While saving on healthcare expenses is the point of buying private health insurance, don’t just focus on the math — take time to read customer reviews, financial stability ratings, and other key metrics that indicate how well a health insurance company meets its customers’ needs.
Finally, now is a good time to consider where you might also want to buy another type of insurance (like critical illness or life insurance). Most providers offer discounts on bundled policies — and they have toll-free helplines.
FAQ: Best health insurance in Manitoba
Prices listed on this page are based on information available as of October 2025. The prices shown are for general reference only and may vary based on factors like your age, location, and product selection.