Group Health Insurance Benefits for Small Business

Pooled product. Honest pricing.

When you choose GMS for group benefits, what you see is what you get: no surprises, no extreme price fluctuations, and everything you need to feel good before, during, and after your workday. Grouping our groups into what the insurance industry calls a “pool” helps us spread out any risk and keep price changes to a minimum.

The GMS Difference

Comprehensive coverage. You and your team have access to a wide range of essential and bonus benefits like the GMS Care Network
Convenient processes. Ease is everything. From applying to administering, we designed GMS Group Advantage so you can focus on your business, not your benefits.
Help when you need it. Have a question about employee health benefits? Our Customer Care team is here to help.

Why buy?

A changing labour market means group health insurance isn’t just a nice to have – it's a must to attract, retain, and take care of your team. We make GMS Group Advantage work for your work.

Business owners choose Group Advantage for:

Flexibility: Choose from three pre-built health and dental plans – Silver, Gold, and Platinum – perfect for small- and medium-sized businesses.
Health Care Spending Accounts (HCSA): Add non-taxable bonus coverage with an optional HCSA. You’ll only be charged if the account gets used.
Life and Disability Insurance: Group Advantage Plus adds extra security and peace of mind for you and your employees.

Add-on Coverage: Group Advantage Plus gives you the option of offering your employees life, disability, critical illness insurance, and more.
GMS Care Network: Health isn’t a 9-5. Access around-the-clock care, from virtual doctors to life coaching, support networks, and licensed counselling, with our GMS Care Network.

What’s Included?

GMS Group Advantage plans cover all the essential health and dental benefits – and then some.

GMS Group Advantage Health Plans

Description	Silver	Gold	Platinum
Prescription Drug Coverage (coverage per person, per year)	70% of lowest-cost-alternative up to $1,000 formulary & non-formulary drugs vaccines/immunizations	80% of lowest-cost-alternative up to $3,000 formulary & non-formulary drugs vaccines/immunizations	100% of lowest-cost-alternative up to $6,000 formulary & non-formulary drugs vaccines/immunizations
Health Practitioners	$250 combined	$350 combined	$400 per specialist per year
Counselling Services	$250	$350	$400
Eye Exams, Glasses, Contact Lenses & Surgery	$60 per 2 years (eye exams only)	$150 per 2 years	$300 per 2 years
GMS Care Network	Unlimited short-term services	Unlimited short-term services	Unlimited short-term services
Travel Coverage	90 days, unlimited number of trips $5 million total coverage	90 days, unlimited number of trips $5 million total coverage	90 days, unlimited number of trips $5 million total coverage
Survivor Benefit	12 months	12 months	12 months
Diabetic Supplies & Equipment	$300	$300	$500
Oxygen Equipment	$500	$500	$500
Custom Foot Orthotics	1 pair every 5 years for adults 1 pair every year for children under the age of 16	1 pair every 5 years for adults 1 pair every year for children under the age of 16	1 pair every 5 years for adults 1 pair every year for children under the age of 16
Ostomy Supplies	$300	$300	$300
Ambulance	$1,500	Unlimited	Unlimited
Air Ambulance	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Casts & Crutches	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Preferred Hospital Rooms	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Private Duty Nursing	$2,500	$2,500	$5,000
Accidental Injury to Natural Teeth	$2,000 per injury	$2,000 per injury	$2,000 per injury
Wheelchairs, Motorized Scooters & Hospital Beds	$500 per policy (every 5 years)	$500 per policy (every 5 years)	$500 per policy (every 5 years)
Artificial Limbs, Eyes & Larynx	$10,000 lifetime maximum	$10,000 lifetime maximum	$10,000 lifetime maximum
Patient Walkers	$200 per policy (every 3 years)	$200 per policy (every 3 years)	$200 per policy (every 3 years)
Breast Prosthesis	1 (lateral) or 2 (bilateral) every 2 years	1 (lateral) or 2 (bilateral) every 2 years	1 (lateral) or 2 (bilateral) every 2 years
Health Supplies & Equipment	$500 combined	$500 combined	$500 combined
Out-of-Province Referral (within Canada)	Not included	$50,000 lifetime	$50,000 lifetime
Hearing Aids	Not included	$500 (every 5 years)	$500 (every 3 years)
Therapeutic Shoes	Not included	$200	$200
Blood Pressure Monitor	Not included	Not included	1 per policy per 5 years

Coverage is per person. This is a summary of benefits only.

GMS Group Advantage Dental Plans

Choose between $500, $1,000, $1,500, or $2,000 combined coverage maximums for preventative, basic, and major dental services.

Benefit	Silver	Gold	Platinum
Preventative Services	80% coverage cleaning polishing topical fluoride treatment and more	100% coverage cleaning polishing topical fluoride treatment and more	100% coverage cleaning polishing topical fluoride treatment and more
Basic Services	80% coverage exams and x-rays root canals denture repair and more	100% coverage exams and x-rays root canals denture repair and more	100% coverage exams and x-rays root canals denture repair and more
Major Services	Not included	50% coverage bridges crowns full/partial dentures inlay and onlays and more	80% coverage bridges crowns full/partial dentures inlay and onlays and more
Orthodontic Services (for children under 18 years of age)	Not included	Not included	50% coverage ($1,500 lifetime maximum)

Coverage is per person. This is a summary of benefits only.

GMS Group Advantage Plus

Give your business an even bigger advantage with optional coverage through Group Advantage Plus.

Benefit	Coverage Options
Life Insurance and Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D)	Choose from $10,000, $25,000, $50,000, or 1 x annual salary (varies by salary)
Dependant Life Insurance	Choose between $5,000 (spouse) and $2,500 (dependants) or $10,000 (spouse) and $5,000 (dependants)
Traditional Critical Illness	Comprehensive coverage for up to 25 critical illnesses including heart attack, kidney failure, or benign brain tumour Choose between $10,000 or $25,000 (only available to groups of six – 49).
Dependant Traditional Critical Illness	Choose between $5,000 (spouse) and $2,500 (dependants) or $10,000 (spouse) and $5,000 (dependants)
High Severity Critical Illness	Coverage for up to 9 critical illnesses including critical strokes, late-stage cancer, or severe dementia Choose between $10,000 or $25,000 (only available to groups of six – 49)
Dependant High Severity Critical Illness	Choose between $5,000 (spouse) and $2,500 (dependants) or $10,000 (spouse) and $5,000 (dependants)
Short-Term Disability	66.67% of weekly earnings (non-taxable) or 70% of weekly earnings (taxable) Elimination period options: Accident can be 0 days or 7 days Hospital can be 0 days (1st day hospital) or 7 days Illness is 7 days No-evidence and health evidence maximums available up to $1,500 or equivalent to EI maximum Choose duration of 16 weeks, 17 weeks, or 26 weeks
Long-Term Disability	Choose from non-taxable (tiered 66.67% of 1st $1,500, 50% of next $2,500, and 40% of balance of monthly earnings) or taxable (70% of monthly earnings) No-evidence maximum available up to $6,000 Health evidence maximum available up to $11,000 Elimination period options of 112, 119, or 182 (will begin after short-term disability if applicable) Choose benefit duration of five years or until age 65 Two-year own occupation period Three-month survivor benefit
Second Medical Opinion	Available to employees, spouses, and dependants. Access a Canada-wide network of second medical opinion specialists to review patient files, verify diagnoses according to up-to-date practice guidelines, and confirm or propose modifications to the suggested treatment plan as required.

This is a summary of benefits only. Please refer to the policy for complete details. GMS Group Advantage Plus Life & Disability options underwritten by Assumption Life.

Set a new standard for a healthy work-life balance.

We make buying group benefits easy – honestly. Fill out our GMS Group Advantage quote form and someone from our Group Sales team will get you a quote within two business days.

Get a quote

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

See all FAQs

Is GMS Group Advantage open to companies of any size?: Right now, we only offer GMS Group Advantage benefit plans to companies with three to 49 employees.
Can I choose which benefits I include in my group health plan?: We designed GMS Group Advantage with a focus on consistent, reliable rates and comprehensive coverage. Most of the benefits are pre-selected, but you can choose between our Silver, Gold, and Platinum plans based on what you think you and your team need. You can also decide to add life, disability, critical illness benefits, and more.
How do Health Care Spending Accounts (HCSA) work?: As an employer, you choose the HCSA amount your employees get each year, from a minimum of $250 per employee all the way up to $15,000. You can even set different amounts for different employee groups (managers versus staff, for example). Once you’ve set up your HCSA, employees can send claims for reimbursement just like they would any other benefits. We’ll make sure those claims are eligible, reimburse the employee, and send you a monthly invoice for the total cost of claims plus a 10% administration fee and any applicable taxes.
What kinds of medical expenses are non-taxable?: We’re glad you asked. The Canada Revenue Agency keeps a list of expenses eligible for HCSA coverage. Common examples include things like prescription eyeglasses, prescription drugs, and dental services.
Can my employees submit claims online?: You bet. Encourage your employees to sign up for a My GMS account; once they do, they can submit claims, track claim payments, sign up for direct deposit, and get more information about a claim through their Explanation of Benefits.

Don’t see your question here? Check out our full list of group health insurance FAQs or contact us and we’ll get you an answer.

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Check out the GMS Resource Hub for forms and other helpful information about group health insurance and group benefits.

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Group Health Benefits