Health Insurance Companies in Canada: The Ultimate List
How private health insurance works in Canada
Private health insurance in Canada is coverage you buy to get extra medical coverage on top of the healthcare services covered by your province or territory.
You may be considering coverage in one of these three categories:
- Individual coverage, which you buy to supplement employer or provincial coverage
- Individual coverage, which you buy because you need self-employed insurance
- Group coverage, which is offered through employers and small businesses
To get private health insurance, get quotes for plans that fit your needs. A typical Canadian private health insurance policy will cover vision, dental, and some prescriptions because those aren’t covered under provincial plans.
Take note: if you’re wondering about the new Canadian Dental Care Plan, be aware that this federal coverage is only available to people who do not have access to any other dental insurance. Your household income also has to be below $90,000.
• What coverage do you have through work?
• Are you a dependent on your partner’s plan?
• What’s included with your federal and provincial coverage?
Then, pick a company (see below for our list) and pay them a monthly premium. When you need something, the company will pay for a portion of any health benefits covered by your plan and you pay the rest, up the plan’s limit.
Top 5 health insurance companies in Canada
The top 5 Canadian health insurance companies are PolicyMe, Sun Life, Manulife, ScotiaLife and Canada Life.
Each of these companies ranks highly because it stands out in one or more categories: affordability, flexibility, coverage options, and customer service.
If you’re one of the 12 million people in Canada who still don't have any type of health insurance through work or personally, start with taking a closer look at policies from these five companies.
Comprehensive list of health insurance companies in Canada
Shopping for health insurance can feel overwhelming, but it helps to know who the main players are. Below you’ll find a list of the most reputable health insurance companies in Canada.
Beneva
Formerly SSQ, Beneva offers group health insurance through employers to employees. Available coverage includes prescription drugs, travel insurance, dental, critical illness, wellness plans, and retirement plans.
- AM Best: A
- BBB: N/A
- Customer reviews: 1.4/5 stars on Trustpilot.
Blue Cross (and provincial franchises)
Blue Cross offers dental plans, mental health, prescription, paramedical services, vision, and travel health insurance. The biggest available perk is unlimited prescription and dental coverage. Fertility coverage depends on your province.
- AM Best: N/A
- BBB: A+
- Customer reviews: 1.6/5 stars on Trustpilot.
Available as Alberta Blue Cross, Ontario Blue Cross, Quebec Blue Cross, Manitoba Blue Cross (Nunavut), Medavie Blue Cross (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador), Pacific Blue Cross (British Columbia and Yukon), Saskatchewan Blue Cross
CAA
CAA members can buy private health insurance (underwriting through Manulife) via three plans. You can get paramedical expenses covered with your benefits plan, as well as prescription drugs, dental, vision, and hospital stays.
- AM Best: A
- BBB: N/A
- Customer reviews: 1.9/5 stars on Trustpilot
Canada Life
Canada Life sells vision, dental insurance, prescription, and paramedical insurance. This well-established company doesn’t offer the cheapest coverage, but it’s one of the best for vision (they’ll cover up to 100%). They also offer family-building coverage for fertility care.
- AM Best: A+
- BBB: N/A
- Customer reviews: 1.4/5 stars on Trustpilot.
Desjardins
Desjardins offers coverage for prescription, mental health, paramedical, dental, and vision coverage. A sweet perk is that you can bundle insurance for a discount (like health insurance plus life insurance). Note that plans only cover you to age 64.
- AM Best: N/A
- BBB: N/A
- Customer reviews: 1.4/5 stars on Trustpilot.
Empire Life
Empire offers group benefits as well as individual critical illness and disability insurance. You won’t find dental or vision care here, however.
- AM Best: N/A
- BBB: N/A
- Customer reviews: 3.1/5 on Google.
GMS (Group Medical Services)
The GMS base plan is pretty simple, but you can upgrade. Get prescription meds, mental health services, dental, vision, paramedical, orthotics, and travel. Plus, enjoy a flat deductible (rather than a percentage-based coverage amount).
- AM Best: N/A
- BBB: N/A
- Customer reviews: 3.2/5 on Google.
GreenShield
GreenShield is a popular provider of employee health insurance, known for its high coverage limits for paramedical services like massage and chiropractic care. It also offers coverage for vision, dental (not in the basic plan), mental health, paramedical, prescription meds, and travel.
- AM Best: N/A
- BBB: A+
- Customer reviews: 1.3/5 stars on Trustpilot.
Industrial Alliance
While you can’t buy an individual plan through iA, you may be offered a group plan through your employer. Group coverage includes paramedical, vision, dental, AD&D, plus several other perks like homecare insurance.
- AM Best: N/A
- BBB: N/A
- Customer reviews: 1.7/5 on InsurEye.
Manulife
Manulife offers a wide variety of health coverage options like prescription medication, paramedical expenses, vision, dental, mental health, and travel. The basic plan doesn’t include dental, but you can add it onto other plans — or get dental only.
- AM Best: A+
- BBB: N/A
- Customer reviews: 1.1/5 stars on Trustpilot.
PolicyMe
PolicyMe health insurance has plans that cover dental, vision, mental health, prescription drugs, professional services like massage, and lots more (like homecare and accidental dental). Best of all, you only have to wait one business day until you can start making claims.
- AM Best: N/A
- BBB: A+
- Customer reviews: 4.8/5 stars on Reviews.io.
RBC
It doesn’t offer standard health insurance, but RBC does offer critical illness, disability, and travel insurance for its customers. Pricing is competitive but you won’t find dental or vision care here.
- AM Best: A+
- BBB: N/A
- Customer reviews: 1.5/5 stars on Trustpilot.
Scotiabank
If you’re a Scotia customer, you can get health or health plus dental coverage. This includes prescription drugs, paramedical coverage, hospitalization, ambulance, home care, and travel benefits. There are waiting periods for dental, vision, and medical equipment, and it doesn’t cover orthodontics or fertility drugs.
- AM Best: A-
- BBB: N/A
- Customer reviews: 1.9/5 on InsurEye.
Sun Life
Its best product is travel health insurance, but Sun Life also offers standard health plans that include mental health, paramedical, prescription meds, dental, and vision. To get vision, you’ll have to upgrade beyond the basic plan.
- AM Best: A+
- BBB: N/A
- Customer reviews: 1.2/5 stars on Trustpilot.
Wawanesa
Wawanesa offers group coverage to employees, and it’s known for mental health coverage and gender affirming care benefits. It also covers things like hospitalization, prescription drugs, dental, vision, and other paramedical services. Wawanesa also made Forbes’ 2025 list of Canada’s best employers for company culture.
- AM Best: A
- BBB: A+
- Customer reviews: 2.6/5 on Google.
What do health insurance companies cover in Canada?
Private health insurance companies in Canada cover a variety of healthcare, from the type of care traditionally covered by government plans to supplemental care, like vision, dental, and paramedical services that are not covered by most provincial plans.
You choose your specific coverages and your plan limits. Private plans may offer the same coverage a province provides, but the coverage amounts and copays may be different.
In Canada, there is a wide range of services that may be available through private health care, depending on the policy you select:
- Basic medical care: Doctor visits, check-ups, surgeries, specialist consultations
- Vision: Routine eye exams, glasses, contact lenses, sometimes corrective surgery
- Dental: Routine exams and cleanings, orthodontics
- Mental health: Therapy, counseling, psychiatric care
- Prescription drugs: Access to prescribed drugs and higher limits
- Emergency medical: Ambulance use, emergency room visits
- Medical equipment: Walkers, wheelchairs
- Fertility: Assistance with conceiving a baby
- Maternity and newborn care: Pregnancy-related care
- Hearing aids: The cost of hearing aids
- Hospitalization: Private or semi-private rooms
- Rehabilitation: Treatment after injuries and accidents to rehab
- Dermatology: Skin treatments and procedures if medically necessary
- Chronic disease management: Support for conditions like diabetes and heart disease
- Diagnostics and preventative: Tests and preventative treatments like vaccines and screenings
- Alternative care: Physiotherapy, chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage
- Telehealth: Access a doctor virtually for consultations
- Travel health insurance: Coverage for medical emergencies abroad
- Wellness programs and health coaching: Programs with fitness and nutrition, access to coaches for personalized well-being plans
Every company is different, but be aware that LASIK, cosmetic and elective procedures, fertility treatments, and experimental treatments are not typically covered by a private plan. Make sure to read your policy closely before signing!
How do health insurance companies determine premiums?
Three main risk factors determine your health insurance premium:
- Age: Older people (50+) pay higher premiums because they file more claims, statistically
- Location: If your area has a higher cost of living, then your premium will be higher
- Coverage: If you want more coverage, expect to pay a higher premium
Right now, the average premium for health insurance in Canada is between $70 and $150 per month. To give you a better idea of how much health insurance might cost you, we’ve pulled starting premiums for applicants aged 21-44 across different provinces for PolicyMe’s Economic Plan.
Who regulates health insurance companies in Canada?
Health insurance companies in Canada are regulated by the federal government under the Insurance Companies Act by monitoring compliance with codes of conduct:
- Canadian Council of Insurance Regulators (CCIR)
- Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI)
You’re also protected provincially. For instance, in Ontario the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) and the Ontario Insurance Act ensure that companies and agents are properly licensed. New Brunswick has the Financial and Consumer Services Commission (FCNB), and lots of provinces have an Office of the Superintendent of Insurance which regulates insurers to protect consumers.
Check out the CLHIA guide if you want to learn more about insurance regulation and consumer protection in Canada.
FAQ: Health insurance companies in Canada
Bonnie Stinson is an insurance writer and researcher in Toronto with a decade of experience producing helpful, accurate content for Canadians. They have published resources for some of Canada's most innovative and consumer-trusted companies in the health, legal, and fintech sectors.
Bonnie Stinson is an insurance writer and researcher in Toronto with a decade of experience producing helpful, accurate content for Canadians. They have published resources for some of Canada's most innovative and consumer-trusted companies in the health, legal, and fintech sectors.