Canada Life Health Insurance Review (2026)
Is Canada Life health insurance good?
Founded in 1847, Canada Life was the first life insurance company in Canada and is now the second-largest provider by assets. After nearly 180 years in business, the company can also boast a large workforce, cross-country availability, and a huge product selection, including health insurance, critical illness insurance, disability insurance, and more.
Canada Life is indisputably one of the biggest options on the market, and arguably sells some of the best health insurance plans, though this will depend on your coverage needs. The Freedom to Choose line provides high-value, comprehensive coverage with especially good value for routine supplies and services such as prescription drugs, dental, and vision.
Canada Life’s vast product selection makes it a good choice for customers looking to manage their insurance, investments, and retirement plans in one place. If you want lots of coverage and you don’t mind paying extra to get it, Canada Life health insurance might be right for you.
How much does Canada Life insurance cost?
Canada Life specializes in high-value, comprehensive coverage. We wouldn’t call it cheap health insurance, but you certainly get what you pay for–Canada Life health plans provide best-in-class prescription drug and dental coverage.
Canada Life’s most competitively-priced plan is Freedom to Choose Select Elite. Its health insurance premiums undercut the industry average by up to 39% (for kids), and premiums for adults and seniors are mostly competitive.
Freedom to Choose Select
The Freedom to Choose Select series by Canada Life contains four plans with health and dental or high drug coverage. Most plans are underwritten, meaning your eligibility and premiums depend on a medical questionnaire, but there’s a guaranteed option open to all applicants.
Canada Life plans generally offer a terrific amount of coverage at a slightly higher price, especially for underwritten products. Our top pick is Select to Choose Guaranteed, which asks zero medical questions and provides unlimited accidental dental coverage.
Freedom to Choose Select
Our expert take: Freedom to Choose Select by Canada Life charges above-average premiums justified by a high amount of paramedical coverage with zero deductibles. Although we wish it covered more drugs, dental care, and mental health services, we appreciate the inclusion of $15,000 of accidental dental coverage.
Coverage details:
- 70% of generic, birth control, cannabis, and other prescription drugs (up to $500 per year)
- Up to 70% of preventative and restorative dental services (up to $350 per year)
- 100% of vision services every 2 years (up to $75 for eye exams and $150 for prescription lenses, frames, and laser surgery)
- 100% of visits to 10 paramedical professionals (up to $30 per visit and $300 per profession)
- 100% of visits to mental health professionals (up to $30 per visit and 10 visits combined per year)
- 100% of accidental dental services (unlimited)
- 100% of ground and air ambulance transportation (unlimited)
Freedom to Choose Select Guaranteed
Our expert take: Freedom to Choose Select Guaranteed is Canada Life’s only guaranteed issue health insurance plan, and asks no medical questions in exchange for slightly higher premiums. Its paramedical, accidental dental, and ambulance coverage is impressive, but it might not be a good fit for customers with high prescription drug expenses.
Coverage details:
- 70% of generic, birth control, cannabis, and other prescription drugs (up to $500 per year)
- Up to 70% of preventative and restorative dental services (up to $350 per year)
- 100% of vision services every 2 years (up to $75 for eye exams and $150 for prescription lenses, frames, and laser surgery)
- 100% of visits to 10 paramedical professionals (up to $30 per visit and $300 per profession)
- 100% of visits to mental health professionals (up to $30 per visit and 10 visits combined per year)
- 100% of accidental dental services (unlimited)
- 100% of ground and air ambulance transportation (unlimited)
Freedom to Choose Select Plus
Our expert take: Freedom to Choose Select Plus by Canada Life is an overall excellent option, if a little pricey. It offers generous prescription drug and paramedical coverage, although the former doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions or prescriptions, and the latter has a $40 per-visit limit. If you’re young and you need financial protection against a pricey diagnosis, you can hardly do better.
Coverage details:
- 80% of generic, birth control, cannabis, and other prescription drugs (up to $10,000 per year)
- Up to 80% of preventative and restorative dental services (up to $750 per year)
- 100% of vision services every 2 years (up to $75 for eye exams and $200 for prescription lenses, frames, and laser surgery)
- 100% of visits to 10 paramedical professionals (up to $40 per visit and $400 per profession)
- 100% of visits to mental health professionals (up to $40 per visit and 10 visits combined per year)
- 100% of accidental dental services (unlimited)
- 100% of ground and air ambulance transportation (unlimited)
Freedom to Choose Select Elite
Our expert take: Freedom to Choose Select Elite by Canada Life is a premium fit for young families seeking long-term financial protection from an expensive diagnosis. Its prescription drug, dental, and paramedical coverage is good, not to mention its high accidental dental coverage limit. We also appreciate the flexibility of its mental health coverage, which has a 100% reimbursement rate and no per-visit limits.
Coverage details:
- 90% of generic, birth control, cannabis, and other prescription drugs (up to $250,000 per year)
- Up to 80% of preventative, restorative, and major dental services (up to $1,000 per year)
- 100% of vision services every 2 years (up to $75 for eye exams and $250 for prescription lenses, frames, and laser surgery)
- 100% of visits to 10 paramedical professionals (up to $50 per visit and $500 per profession)
- 100% of visits to mental health professionals (up to $50 per visit and 10 visits combined per year)
- 100% of accidental dental services (unlimited)
- 100% of ground and air ambulance transportation (unlimited)
*All coverage comparisons reflect the total amount of prescription drug, dental, vision, paramedical, mental health, accidental dental, and ambulance coverage versus the industry average for comparable plans.
Canada Life’s Freedom to Choose Guaranteed
The Freedom to Choose Guaranteed series by Canada Life offers three drug and dental, or no dental coverage options, none of which require a medical questionnaire. However, you must be leaving (or have recently left) a group benefits plan to be eligible for the Plus and Elite plans.
These “replacement” plans are often the best deals on the health insurance market, and the Freedom to Choose Guaranteed series covers an exceptional amount of routine care.
Freedom to Choose Guaranteed
Our expert take: The Freedom to Choose Guaranteed plan from Canada Life offers a comprehensive selection of perks to those with existing dental coverage. Its vision coverage doesn’t include prescription eyewear, but its prescription drug, paramedical, and mental health coverage is excellent for a basic plan.
Coverage details:
- 80% of generic, birth control, weight loss, and other prescription drugs (up to $1,000 per year)
- 90% of vision services every 2 years (up to $75 for eye exams and $0 for )
- 90% of visits to 9 paramedical professionals (up to $0 per visit and $300 per profession)
- 90% of visits to mental health professionals (up to $300 combined per year)
- 100% of accidental dental services (unlimited)
- 100% of ground and air ambulance transportation (unlimited)
Freedom to Choose Guaranteed Plus
Our expert take: Freedom to Choose Guaranteed Plus by Canada Life justifies its above-average premiums with above-average prescription drug, dental, vision, and paramedical coverage. Although it covers a below-average amount of mental health care, it has a 100% reimbursement rate with no per-visit limits.
Coverage details:
- 85% of generic, birth control, weight loss, and other prescription drugs (up to $1,500 per year)
- Up to 80% of preventative and restorative dental services (up to $1,000 per year)
- 100% of vision services every 2 years (up to $75 for eye exams and $200 for prescription lenses, frames, and laser surgery)
- 100% of visits to 9 paramedical professionals (up to $0 per visit and $350 per profession)
- 100% of visits to mental health professionals (up to $350 combined per year)
- 100% of accidental dental services (unlimited)
- 100% of ground and air ambulance transportation (unlimited)
Freedom to Choose Guaranteed Elite
Our expert take: Freedom to Choose Guaranteed Elite is the top offering from Canada Life, with best-in-class dental coverage and no medical questions necessary. Compared to the industry average, policyholders pay an average of 25% fewer out-of-pocket costs for routine care (including prescription drugs, dental, vision, paramedical, and mental health care).
Coverage details:
- 90% of generic, birth control, weight loss, and other prescription drugs (up to $2,400 per year)
- Up to 85% of preventative, restorative, and major dental services (up to $2,000 per year)
- 90% of vision services every 2 years (up to $300 for eye exams and $275 for prescription lenses, frames, and laser surgery)
- 100% of visits to 9 paramedical professionals (up to $0 per visit and $400 per profession)
- 100% of visits to mental health professionals (up to $400 combined per year)
- 100% of accidental dental services (unlimited)
- 100% of ground and air ambulance transportation (unlimited)
*All coverage comparisons reflect the total amount of prescription drug, dental, vision, paramedical, mental health, accidental dental, and ambulance coverage versus the industry average for comparable plans.
How does Canada Life health insurance compare to other providers?
Canada Life health coverage generally excels at dental, paramedical, and accidental dental coverage. Freedom to Choose Select Guaranteed includes many medical supplies that fall outside the scope of our study (including breathing, orthopedic, and prosthetic equipment), and for some customers, its value could be higher than what we’ve represented.
That being said, cheaper plans from PolicyMe and GreenShield provide just as much (if not more) routine coverage for prescription drugs, dental services, vision services, paramedical services, and mental health:
Does Canada Life have critical illness insurance?
Canada Life’s LifeAdvance critical illness insurance provides a one-time, tax-free payment if you’re diagnosed with one of 26 critical conditions, including dementia, a heart attack, life-threatening cancer, or a stroke. There are four optional add-ons (including return-of-premium and disability waiver-of-premium riders) and two major perks: Best Doctors and Shepell.
With Best Doctors, you can access a network of 50,000 medical experts to find local specialists and get your questions answered regarding any medical condition, not just the critical ones. If you’re diagnosed with a covered condition, Shepell can ease your recovery with access to professional counselling, family support services, nutritional advice, and more.
Does Canada Life have disability insurance?
In the event an illness or injury threatens your livelihood, Canada Life’s disability insurance can replace up to 90% of your take-home pay with monthly, tax-free lump sums. True to form, Canad Life’s coverage is highly customizable, and you can choose your monthly benefit amount and additional coverage options.
Is Canada Life health insurance worth it?
Canada Life can be worth it if you’re looking for comprehensive, high-value health insurance, especially if you qualify for a replacement plan. Its plans offer especially great value in the categories of dental, paramedical, and accidental dental care, and we love that there are no per-visit limits on its mental health coverage.
Although Canada Life health coverage tends to be pricier than the industry average, it justifies the price tag with a valuable suite of benefits. Just remember, your health insurance premiums could go up depending on your answers during the application process.
FAQ: Canada Life health insurance
Jasmine specializes in converting complex insurance data into actionable guidance. Her background includes auto, life, and health insurance and financial planning. Lately, she’s leveraging AI to extract insights from the numbers and help Canadians make better decisions.
Jasmine specializes in converting complex insurance data into actionable guidance. Her background includes auto, life, and health insurance and financial planning. Lately, she’s leveraging AI to extract insights from the numbers and help Canadians make better decisions.
Prices listed on this page are based on information available as of March 2026. The prices shown are for general reference only and may vary based on factors like your age, location, and product selection.