Canadians Spend 2.5 Times More Time Navigating Health and Benefits than with Doctors

Canadians are dedicating increasingly more time to navigating the complexities of accessing healthcare and benefits....

Canadians are dedicating increasingly more time to navigating the complexities of accessing healthcare and benefits. From the time spent in doctor’s offices to completing benefit-related paperwork and waiting at pharmacies, a recent survey conducted by GreenShield has revealed that Canadians are spending 2.5 times more time managing their healthcare and benefits compared to the actual time spent during a doctor’s appointment.

On average, Canadians are allocating twice as much time to activities leading up to their healthcare appointments, such as booking appointments, completing medical history forms, and waiting to see their healthcare providers, compared to the actual duration of their appointments. Additionally, they are devoting 60 percent more time after appointments for tasks like filling prescriptions, scheduling follow-up visits, and submitting insurance forms, all of which exceed the time spent during the appointment itself.

Zahid Salman, President and CEO of GreenShield, remarked, “We understand that Canadians want to take charge of their health, but they encounter difficulties navigating the fragmented aspects of the healthcare and benefits system. Canadians are seeking increased access, convenience, better integration, and improved health outcomes. As Canada’s pioneer payer-provider and the nation’s sole national not-for-profit health and benefits company, GreenShield has charted a better path by combining coverage and care into a single platform, delivering a personalized, engaging, and simplified experience.”

Coverage and Care, All in One Place

GreenShield is the first entity in Canada to operate as an integrated payer-provider, offering insurance, administering benefits as a ‘payer,’ and providing health services such as mental health support, pharmacy services, and telemedicine as a ‘provider.’ This comprehensive approach allows GreenShield to streamline access to care, eliminate administrative hurdles, and enhance health outcomes for its customers.

Earlier this year, GreenShield introduced GreenShield+, a groundbreaking digital health and benefits ecosystem that revolutionizes the Canadian healthcare and benefits experience by offering an unparalleled level of integration between health services and benefits plans. To further underscore their commitment, GreenShield has now launched its inaugural nationwide campaign, known as the “Reverse Waiting Room.”

The Reverse Waiting Room

“Our new national campaign aims to empower Canadians with a health and benefits experience tailored to them,” explained Mandy Mail, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications at GreenShield. “The Reverse Waiting Room flips the traditional scenario by offering GreenShield’s innovative approach, which integrates coverage and care into one platform centered around the individual. Much like the GreenShield+ experience, the Reverse Waiting Room offers prompt access to high-quality care with seamless benefits integration, enabling individuals to invest more time in their health and well-being instead of navigating a complex system.”

The campaign includes new commercials broadcast across Canada in both English and French on TV, social media, and YouTube. It highlights the power of GreenShield+ in a unique, humorous, and compelling manner, showcasing unmatched levels of integration and services. Users can conveniently check their coverage, access their benefits, connect with healthcare providers, and receive reimbursements for their claims, all within one user-friendly platform.

Coverage and Care for All Canadians

GreenShield was founded as a not-for-profit organization with the belief that all Canadians deserve the opportunities that improved health brings. Their mission revolves around advocating for better health for everyone. The organization reinvests its earnings and deploys its wholly-owned health services to support underserved and marginalized communities across Canada through its social impact brand, GreenShield Cares. GreenShield is on track to reinvest $75 million to positively impact at least one million Canadians by 2025.

“GreenShield firmly believes that health is a right, not a business,” declared Salman. “Our distinctive integrated coverage and care model has been designed to alleviate barriers to healthcare for all Canadians.”

For more information about GreenShield+ and GreenShield Cares, please refer to the 2022 Social Impact Report.

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