Key Takeaways
- The best health insurance provides the coverage you need at a price you can afford, from a company with great customer service and financial stability.
- Coverage is important, but a company’s customer service determines how quickly and efficiently you can use it.
- PolicyMe’s Guaranteed Issue Classic plan pairs competitive coverage and pricing with the highest customer service scores on the market.
- Canada Life offers the cheapest comprehensive health plan, Sun Life provides the most prescription drug coverage, and GreenShield has the number one replacement health coverage policy.
What’s the best health insurance in Canada?
Health insurance is a broad term for a variety of policies designed to support overall health and wellness, including dental insurance and vision insurance. Other types of coverage, such as disability insurance, critical illness insurance, travel insurance, and visitor insurance, also fall under the health insurance umbrella.
In this article, we focus on the best private health coverage you can buy in Canada for you and your family. Regardless of whether you’re looking for drug, dental or vision care (or all three), the best health insurance policy has four ingredients:
- Coverage: Private health insurance should cover the services you and your family need. If your plan’s yearly dollar limits (or annual maximums) are too low, you won’t save any money; too high, and you’re probably overpaying for coverage.
- Customer service: From buying plans to filing claims, good customer service can be the difference between wasting your benefits and enjoying them to the max.
- Financial stability: Your health insurance company must be able to pay for your benefits and reimburse your claims.
- Value for money: For every dollar you pay in copay, premiums and deductibles, a good health plan should provide $5-$10+ worth of coverage.
To find the best health insurance in Canada, we scored and evaluated 65 products from 9 insurers in the categories of customer service, financial stability, and value for money. The result is over 5,000 points of data and a definitive list of the best health, drug, and dental plans on the market today.
Quality coverage, quick health insurance quotes.
1. Guaranteed Issue Classic by PolicyMe
Drug
|
70% of generic prescriptions (up to $600 per year)
|
Dental
|
80% of preventative and restorative services, plus 60% of comprehensive services, plus 50% of major services in Year 3+ (up to $750 in Year 1 and $900 in Year 2+)
|
Vision
|
$60 for eye exams and $250 for prescription eyewear and surgery (every 2 years)
|
Paramedical
|
80% of visits to 9 professionals (up to $750 per year combined)
|
Mental health
|
$100 per visit to licensed mental health professionals (up to $800 per year combined)
|
Emergency
|
100% of accidental dental services (up to $10,000 per year), plus unlimited coverage for air and ground emergency transportation
|
Next best plans
|
Guaranteed Issue Economic (4.0/5), Guaranteed Issue Advanced (3.8/5)
|
Why is it the best? PolicyMe’s Guaranteed Issue Classic plan combines competitive coverage and pricing with the best customer service in the industry, no medical questions required! Apply online in 20 minutes or less, and you can start making claims as soon as one business day later.
Plus, its flexible policy design allows you to spend more of your coverage on two or more medical services or pieces of equipment. For example, rather than limiting your paramedical coverage to $20 per visit or $200 per profession, PolicyMe’s Classic plan gives you $750 to spend on 9 health professionals as you please.
Premiums start around $145/month for applicants aged 21-44 in Ontario.
- Includes access to online health forums
- Includes coverage for breathing equipment/oxygen, diagnostic services (Québec only), diabetic supplies, durable medical equipment, hearing aids, in-home nursing, mobility aids, orthotics/orthopedic shoes and prostheses
- No medical questionnaire required
-
No add-ons available
-
No extra features
See how affordable health insurance can be with PolicyMe.
2. ZONE 1 (Elementary) by GreenShield
Drug
|
Not included
|
Dental
|
Not included
|
Vision
|
$65 for eye exams and $150 for prescription eyewear and surgery (every 2 years)
|
Paramedical
|
$20 per visit to 8 professionals (up to $300 per profession per year)
|
Mental health
|
100% of visits to licensed mental health professionals (up to $300 per year combined)
|
Emergency
|
100% of accidental dental services (up to $5,000 per year), plus unlimited coverage for air and ground emergency transportation
|
Next best plans
|
ZONE 2 (Primary) (4.8/5), ZONE 3 (Basic) (3.5/5)
|
Why we recommend it: Starting at $44/month for adults 18-44 (in Ontario), the ZONE 1 (Elementary) policy by GreenShield is one of the most affordable basic health insurance plans on the market.
You won’t have prescription drugs or dental care, but if your primary concern is finding massage insurance, multi-trip travel insurance, and accidental dental coverage, ZONE 1 provides good returns.
- Includes travel insurance and virtual healthcare
- Includes coverage for breathing equipment/oxygen, diabetic supplies, diagnostic services, durable medical equipment, hearing aids, in-home nursing, mobility aids, orthotics/orthopedic shoes and prostheses
- No medical questionnaire required
-
No add-ons available
-
No dental coverage
-
No prescription drug coverage
3. Personal Health Insurance Enhanced Plan by Sun Life
Drug
|
80% of generic prescriptions for the first $5,000 and 100% of the next $245,000
|
Dental
|
80% of preventative services (up to $750 per year), 50% of restorative services in Year 2+ (up to $500 per year) and 60% of orthodontic services in Year 3+ (up to $1,500 per lifetime)
|
Vision
|
$300 for prescription eyewear and surgery, including $50 per eye exam (every 2 years)
|
Paramedical
|
100% of visits to 11 professionals (up to $400 per profession per year)
|
Mental health
|
100% of visits to licensed mental health professionals (up to $1,500 per year combined)
|
Emergency
|
100% of accidental dental services (up to $2,000 per fracture or injury), plus unlimited coverage for air and ground emergency transportation
|
Next best plans
|
Personal Health Insurance Standard Plan (with Preventative Dental) (3.5/5), Personal Health Insurance Basic Plan (0.3/5)
|
Why we recommend it: Sun Life’s Personal Health Insurance Enhanced Plan (with Preventative, Restorative and Orthodontic Dental) is one of the most competitive premium health policies available, thanks in large part to its prescription drug coverage. Policyholders can claim up to $249,000 per year for generic prescriptions, including smoking cessation aids and oral contraceptives.
Premiums start around $240/month for 18-year-old applicants in Ontario.
- Basic dental, enhanced dental and semi-private hospital accommodation add-ons available
- Includes travel insurance
- Includes coverage for breathing equipment/oxygen, diabetic supplies, durable medical equipment, hearing aids, in-home nursing, mobility aids, orthotics/orthopedic shoes and prostheses
-
Medical questionnaire required
-
Value depends on high prescription drug claims
4. DrugPlus Enhanced Plan by Manulife
Drug
|
90% of generic and brand-name prescriptions for the first $2,222 and 100% of the next $8,000
|
Dental
|
No coverage
|
Vision
|
$70 for eye exams and $250 for prescription eyewear and surgery (every 2 years)
|
Paramedical
|
$80% of visits to 8 professionals (up to $500 per profession per year)
|
Mental health
|
$80 per first visit ($65 per subsequent visit) to licensed mental health professionals (up to 15 visits per year)
|
Emergency
|
100% of accidental dental services (up to $2,000 per year), plus unlimited coverage for air and ground emergency transportation
|
Next best plans
|
ComboPlus Starter Plan (3.7/5), ComboPlus Enhanced Plan (3.2/5)
|
Why we recommend it: What the DrugPlus Enhanced Plan from Manulife lacks in dental coverage, it more than makes up for with drug coverage. Policyholders also enjoy a number of extra benefits, including travel insurance and accidental death and dismemberment insurance.
Premiums start around $125/month for adults ages 18-54 in Ontario.
- Enhanced accidental death and dismemberment insurance, enhanced vision, catastrophe insurance, private hospital accommodations and semi-private hospital accommodations add-ons available
- Includes accidental death and dismemberment insurance, survivor benefit, telehealth services and travel insurance
- Includes coverage for durable medical equipment, hearing aids, in-home nursing, orthotics/orthopedic shoes and prostheses
-
Low emergency dental coverage
-
Medical questionnaire required
-
No routine dental coverage
5. Freedom to Choose Guaranteed by Canada Life
Drug
|
90% of generic prescriptions (up to $250,000 per year)
|
Dental
|
80% of preventative and restorative services (up to $1,000 per year) and 50% of major services (up to $750 per year)
|
Vision
|
$75 for eye exams and $250 for prescription eyewear and surgery (every 2 years)
|
Paramedical
|
$50 per visit to 10 professionals (up to 10 visits per year)
|
Mental health
|
$50 per visit to licensed mental health professionals (up to 10 visits per year)
|
Emergency
|
100% of accidental dental services, plus unlimited coverage for air and ground emergency transportation
|
Next best plans
|
Freedom to Choose Guaranteed (4.0/5), Freedom to Choose Select Plus (0.6/5)
|
Why we recommend it: The Freedom to Choose Select Elite plan by Canada Life is a premium plan with generous coverage in every category, especially prescription drugs. It’s a superb deal as long as you make plenty of drug claims and qualify for its lowest rates through a medical questionnaire.
Premiums start around $70/month for applicants aged 18-49 in Ontario.
- Includes a medical second opinion service and discounts at Rexall
- Includes coverage for breathing equipment/oxygen, diabetic supplies, diagnostic services, durable medical equipment, hearing aids, in-home nursing, mobility aids, orthotics/orthopedic shoes, private hospital accommodations and prostheses
-
Full value depends on making high prescription drug claims
-
Medical questionnaire required
-
No add-ons available
What’s the best health insurance company in Canada?
The best health insurance provider in Canada is PolicyMe, followed by GreenShield, GMS, Desjardins and Sun Life. PolicyMe offers competitive coverage and pricing paired with the best customer review scores in the industry:
1. PolicyMe
|
★★★★★ (4.6/5)
|
4.9/5
|
3.5/5
|
N/A
|
A+
|
2. GreenShield
|
★★★☆☆ (3.4/5)
|
4.0/5
|
1.3/5
|
N/A
|
A+
|
3. GMS
|
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5)
|
3.2/5
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
4. Desjardins
|
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5)
|
4.5/5
|
1.3/5
|
1.0/5
|
A+
|
5. Sun Life
|
★★★☆☆ (2.9/5)
|
3.2/5
|
1.2/5
|
2.0/5
|
A+
|
What’s the cheapest health insurance in Canada?
Drug
|
70% of generic prescriptions (up to $500 per year)
|
Dental
|
70% of preventative and basic restorative services (up to $350 per year)
|
Vision
|
$75 for eye exams and $150 for prescription eyewear and surgery every 2 years
|
Paramedical
|
$30 per visit to 11 professionals (up to $300 per profession per year)
|
Mental health
|
$30 per visit to licensed mental health professionals (up to $300 per year combined)
|
Emergency
|
100% of accidental dental services, plus unlimited coverage for air and ground emergency transportation
|
Why we don’t recommend it: As long as you don’t mind answering a medical questionnaire, Canada Life’s Freedom to Choose Select plan is the cheapest health insurance offering drug, dental, and vision coverage. Premiums start around $90/month for a healthy, 18-year-old female applicant living in Ontario, but be warned–you won’t receive much coverage in return.
- Includes a medical second opinion service and discounts at Rexall
- Includes coverage for breathing equipment/oxygen, diabetic supplies, diagnostic services, durable medical equipment, hearing aids, mobility aids, orthotics/orthopedic shoes and prostheses
- Includes unlimited accidental dental coverage
-
Medical questionnaire required
-
No add-ons available
What’s the best replacement health plan in Canada?
If you’re going to lose (or have lost) your group health benefits within 90 days, a replacement health insurance policy can help you and your family carry on as normal. With these 3 plans, you can apply now and set the date you’d like your coverage and premiums to begin.
Plan
|
LINK 3
|
Protect Classic
|
Protect Economic
|
Average premiums*
|
$241.29/month
|
$204.84/month
|
$167.59/month
|
Value for Money
|
★★★★★ (4.8/5)
|
★★★★★ (4.6/5)
|
★★★★☆ (4.4/5)
|
Customer Service
|
★★★☆☆ (3.4/5)
|
★★★★★ (4.6/5)
|
★★★★★ (4.6/5)
|
Drug coverage
|
80% of generic prescriptions (up to $1,200 in Year 1, $1,350 in Year 2 and $1,500 in Year 3+)
|
80% of generic prescriptions (up to $1,600 per year)
|
80% of generic prescriptions (up to $1,000 per year)
|
Dental coverage
|
* 80% of basic services
* 80% of comprehensive basic services
* 50% of major services (starting in Year 3)
|
* 80% of preventative and restorative services
* 60% of comprehensive services
* 50% of major services (starting in Year 3)
|
* 70% of preventative and restorative services
|
Dental maximums
|
* $750 (Year 1)
* $1,000 (Year 2)
* $1,250 (Year 3+)
|
* $750 (Year 1)
* $900 (Year 2+)
|
* $500 (Year 1+)
|
Vision coverage (every 2 years)
|
$65 for exams and $250 for prescription eyewear and surgery
|
$60 for eye exams and $250 for prescription eyewear and surgery
|
$60 for eye exams and $200 for prescription eyewear and surgery
|
Paramedical coverage
|
100% of visits to 6 health professionals (up to $400 per profession per year)
|
80% of visits to 9 health professionals (up to $750 combined per year)
|
50% of visits to 9 health professionals (up to $600 combined per year)
|
Mental health coverage
|
100% of visits to licensed mental health professionals (up to $600 combined per year)
|
$100 per visit to licensed mental health professionals (up to $800 combined per year)
|
$75 per visit to licensed mental health professionals (up to $500 combined per year)
|
Emergency coverage
|
100% of accidental dental services (up to $10,000 per year) plus unlimited emergency transportation)
|
100% of accidental dental services (up to $10,000 per year) plus unlimited emergency transportation)
|
100% of accidental dental services (up to $10,000 per year) plus unlimited emergency transportation)
|
Semi-private hospital accommodations
|
✅
|
✅
|
❌
|
Travel insurance
|
✅
|
❌
|
❌
|
* Prices reflect the average monthly premiums of 6 applicants ages 18-60 in Ontario.
Which health insurance plan offers the most coverage?
Nobody’s health or medical history is the same, and fortunately, there’s plenty of variety on the Canadian health insurance market. If you need coverage for a specific medical expense (or a particular paramedical profession), these companies may be able to help*:
Canada Life
|
Freedom to Choose Select Elite
|
Prescription drugs
|
$250,000
|
4.6/5
|
GreenShield
|
ZONE 7 (Ultimate)
|
Dental services
|
$1,500 (Year 3+)
|
2.6/5
|
PolicyMe
|
Advanced
|
Vision
|
$100 for eye exams and $400 for eyewear and surgery (every 2 years)
|
3.8/5
|
PolicyMe
|
Advanced
|
Paramedical
|
$1,000 (combined)
|
3.8/5
|
Sun Life
|
Personal Health Insurance Enhanced Plan
|
Mental health
|
$1,500
|
4.9/5
|
Manulife
|
FlexCare DrugPlus Basic Plan
|
Prostheses
|
$4,000
|
1.0/5
|
Methodology: best health insurance
There are many points to consider when choosing a health plan and provider, which we boiled down to three essentials:
- Customer Service averages real customer review scores from Google, the Better Business Bureau, TrustPilot, and Insureye to give each company a score out of 5.
- Financial Stability shows each company's most recent grade from reputable credit rating agencies A.M. Best, Morningstar DBRS, and S&P Global.
- Value for Money measures how much drug, dental, vision, paramedical, mental health and emergency coverage each product provides in exchange for a year's worth of premiums and deductibles. The plan with the highest returns in each category receives "5", while the plan with the lowest returns receives "0."
Because the Canadian insurance industry is so highly rated, we take each company's Financial Stability score as a given. Our rankings are based on the total of each company's Customer Service score and the Value for Money score of its highest-rated plan in each category.
How to find the best health insurance in Canada
The secret to buying health insurance effectively is to know your needs and do your research. Here are 5 steps containing more detail and the most important questions you need to answer:
- Find your existing coverage: Take a look at your province’s public healthcare plan and your employer’s group health insurance plan to identify the coverage you already have. What benefits do you already have? Are you using them completely?
- Tally your existing costs: Add up your health out-of-pocket expenses during last year (including the receipts for prescription drugs, dental work, and medical equipment) and successful health insurance claims. Is there anything left over? How much?
- Identify coverage gaps: These could be leftover expenses from successful claims or services that aren’t covered by public or group healthcare. How much money did you lose to coverage gaps last year? If you divide the total by 12, what’s the monthly cost?
- Request health insurance quotes: Now that you know your coverage gaps, you can start to look for plans to address them. Do you need supplemental health insurance, vision, dental, paramedical services, or do you want to maximize your covered services? Are your expenses eligible? Are the premiums lower than the monthly cost of your coverage gaps?
- Calculate your savings: Read the fine print regarding each plan’s maximums, covered services, and fees. If you had bought it last year, how much money would you have paid in premiums? How much money would you have saved?
Don’t forget to take a hard look at the customer reviews for different health insurance companies. Good customer service is a necessity for making efficient use of your coverage—not to mention getting reimbursement when you need it!
If you’re stuck, try starting with these health insurance companies:
The best private health insurance company in Canada
For most Canadians, PolicyMe offers the right amount of coverage paired with flexible terms and affordable premiums. Its accident-related coverage extends to dental work, ambulance services, and hospital accommodations without adding to your premiums with ridiculously high maximums.
Its best feature, however, is its customer service department. Clients love our timely and helpful insurance agents, who make every part of the process—from buying coverage to receiving claims—as easy as possible.
The best health insurance plans for families in Canada
Family health insurance can be more complicated than health insurance for individuals because it involves identifying coverage and costs for members of different ages. PolicyMe makes it easier to keep track of your benefits with $20,000+ of flexible coverage per person per year, which covers dispensing fees, dental maintenance, and regular check-ups.
Manulife is another family-friendly option because its plans include one free year of continued health benefits for all your dependents should you pass away.
“Compared to individuals, families should prioritize higher coverage limits, strong dental and vision benefits, and things like child-focused care or mental health support. It’s also important to look at how the plan handles claims per person versus per family, since costs can add up quickly. It’s about finding a plan that’s flexible, comprehensive, and built to handle real-life situations, not just the basics.” – Luke Robar, Licensed Insurance Advisor
The best health insurance plans for seniors in Canada
Most provinces and territories cover prescription drugs for seniors 65+, like the Ontario Drug Benefit and Alberta Coverage for Seniors programs, to name a few. The best health insurance for seniors is therefore dental insurance.
According to our research, GreenShield’s ZONE 2 (Primary) is an excellent choice, starting around $94/month. However, it omits major dental services such as crowns, implants, and dentures, which are critical for aging patients.
Or try PolicyMe’s Dental Care Plan, which provides a higher limit and covers more dental services for about $140/month.
Plan
|
ZONE 2 (Primary)
|
Dental Care Plan
|
Average premiums*
|
$98.50/month
|
$147.07/month
|
Value for money
|
★★★★★ (4.8/5)
|
★★★☆☆ (3.4/5)
|
Customer service
|
★★★☆☆ (3.4/5)
|
★★★★★ (4.6/5)
|
Drug coverage
|
None
|
None
|
Dental
|
80% of basic services
|
80% of basic preventative and restorative services; 50% of major services starting in Year 3
|
Dental maximums
|
* $500 (Year 1)
* $650 (Year 2)
* $800 (Year 3+)
|
* $750 (Year 1)
* $900 (Year 2+)
|
Vision (every 2 years)
|
$65 for eye exams and $150 for prescription eyewear and surgery
|
$60 for eye exams and $250 for prescription eyewear and surgery
|
Paramedical
|
$20 per visit to 8 health professionals (up to $300 per profession per year)
|
80% of visits to 9 health professionals (up to $750 combined per year)
|
Mental health
|
$300 combined per year
|
$100 per visit (up to $800 combined per year)
|
Emergency
|
$100% of accidental dental (up to $5,000 per year) and unlimited emergency transportation
|
100% of accidental dental (up to $10,000 per year) and unlimited emergency transportation
|
Hearing aid (per 4 years)
|
* $300 (Years 1-4)
* $400 (Year 5+)
|
* $400 (Year 1+)
|
Medical items
|
* $2,000 (Year 1)
* $3,000 (Year 2)
* $4,000 (Year 3)
* $5,000 (Year 4+)
|
* $500 (Year 1)
* $1,000 (Year 2)
* $2,000 (Year 3+)
|
In-home nursing
|
* $2,000 (Year 1)
* $3,000 (Year 2)
* $4,000 (Year 3)
* $5,000 (Year 4+)
|
Combined with the above
|
* Prices reflect the average monthly premiums of four applicants from ages 65-80 from Ontario.
Quality health insurance coverage, affordable premiums.
FAQ: Best health insurance in Canada
The top 5 health insurance companies in Canada are PolicyMe, Sun Life, Manulife, ScotiaLife, and Canada Life.
The best overall health insurance plan in Canada is the “Advanced” or “No Dental Advanced” plan from PolicyMe. It features affordable premiums, flexible coverage for routine procedures, and the highest-rated customer service on the market.
The non-profit Conference Board of Canada ranked British Columbia’s healthcare system the third-best in the world, after Switzerland and Sweden.
Vision and dental both count as health insurance, but not every health insurance policy sold contains vision and dental benefits.
Most modern health insurance plans provide coverage for visits to psychologists, psychotherapists, and registered social workers.