GMS, or Group Medical Services, is a Canadian provider of employee benefits plans. With over 70 years of experience, GMS offers health, dental, life, disability and other insurance products to support Canadian employers.
Choosing an employee benefits provider is a financial and operational decision that can directly impact employee satisfaction, retention, and long-term costs. This review takes a closer look at GMS employee benefits plans, examining coverage options, employer considerations, and potential limitations.
If you want to switch employee benefits providers or offer benefits for the first time, read on to see if GMS is right for your business and employees.
Overview of GMS Group Medical Services in Canada
Group Medical Services (GMS) was founded in the 1930s in Regina, Saskatchewan. GMS emerged from a merger between a physician-sponsored health insurance plan and a subscriber cooperative medical insurance plan.
In its early days, GMS offered coverage for healthcare costs not included in the provincial plan, such as prescription drugs, ambulance service, and private nursing. These benefits formed the foundation of GMS’s supplemental health insurance plans, which exist today.
GMS expanded its operations beyond Saskatchewan in the early 2000s, establishing a national presence through Group Medical Services Insurance Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary. This expansion allowed the organization to offer group and individual insurance solutions across multiple provinces while maintaining a focus on employer-sponsored benefits.
Today, GMS offers a range of group and individual insurance products, with a primary focus on employee benefits plans designed for small to mid-sized Canadian businesses. These plans typically include health, dental, drug, life, disability, and travel-related coverage, with administrative features such as direct billing and online claims access.
GMS Employee Benefits Plans: What is Included?
GMS offers both packaged and customizable employee benefits plans, allowing employers to choose between simplified options and more tailored plan designs depending on business size and workforce needs.
The GMS Group Advantage plan is designed primarily for small businesses seeking a streamlined approach to employee benefits. These pre-set plans simplify quoting and enrollment by offering standardized coverage tiers, typically categorized as Silver, Gold, and Platinum.
Employers select a health plan tier and may add dental and other supplementary benefits. Premiums are presented transparently by province, which can help small businesses better forecast benefits and costs.
In general, the plan tiers differ in the level of coverage provided:
- Silver plans: typically focus on essential coverage, such as basic prescription drug benefits and limited vision care.
- Gold plans: offer enhanced coverage, often including broader drug reimbursement, vision benefits, paramedical services, and emergency travel protection.
- Platinum plans: design for employers seeking more comprehensive coverage, with higher benefit maximums and expanded travel and extended health services.
Dental coverage under Group Advantage plans is structured similarly, progressing from preventive services at entry levels to more extensive restorative and orthodontic coverage at higher tiers. Employers usually have flexibility in setting annual dental maximums based on budget considerations.
Group Advantage plans can also be supplemented with additional benefits, such as group life and disability insurance, which are commonly arranged through GMS’s insurance partners.
Custom Group Benefit Plans
Group Medical Services offers complete customization of benefits packages for groups with at least 11 employees. This allows employers to tailor plans to their specific workforce and budget needs with the help of knowledgeable GMS advisors.
Coverages can include:
- Health: Prescriptions, dental, vision, paramedical, medical devices and more
- Life Insurance: Basic, optional, dependent and accidental death & dismemberment
- Disability: Short-term and long-term disability.
- Critical Illness: Lump sum payouts for significant illnesses.
- Travel: Emergency medical coverage for trips out of province/country.
- Other options: employee assistance programs, healthcare spending accounts, and cost-plus options.
Group Medical Services custom group plans utilize provider networks to enable direct billing and smooth claims processing for plan members. They also offer robust online self-service options for employees and HR administrators.
Benefits of GMS Employee Benefits Plans
Find out more about the benefits of GMS employee benefits plans and how they can help you take care of your team.
Comprehensive and Affordable Coverage
Group Medical Services leverages its 70+ years in business to secure optimal rates from insurance providers. This enables them to pass on savings through affordable premiums for packaged and custom group benefits products.
Despite lower premiums, GMS plans offer intense coverage levels tailored to employee needs. Maximums for benefits like drugs, dental and vision care are very competitive, especially among providers catering to small and mid-sized businesses.
Easy Enrollment and Administration
Choosing a pre-set Group Advantage plan only requires comparing three tiers of coverage and calculating monthly costs per employee. There is no lengthy underwriting or back-and-forth quoting.
Even custom plans benefit from GMS’s expertise in streamlining employer benefits selection. The enrollment process is simple, and administrative needs like direct billing and online self-service reduce HR overhead.
Range of Coverage Levels
With Group Advantage, Gold plans offer an excellent middle ground between the Silver and Platinum tiers. This allows employers to balance costs while providing higher coverage levels as the Platinum plan delivers.
Group Medical Services makes it easy for groups requiring full customization to match employee demographics and needs with the appropriate benefits and maximums through flexible plan design.
Value-Added Offerings like EFAP
Group Medical Services includes an Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP) in all Group Advantage plans at no additional cost. EFAP provides mental health resources, financial coaching, nutritional support and much more.
Other additions, such as life insurance, disability protection, and critical illness coverage, complement health benefits. GMS offerings meet all core employee benefit needs.
Billing and Claims Convenience
With provider networks across Canada, Group Medical Services plan members can easily have claims paid directly to practitioners like dentists, pharmacists, optometrists and physiotherapists.
If direct billing is impossible, fast online claims submissions with direct deposit reimbursement eliminate employee paperwork hassles.
GMS Reviews and Reputation
Take a look at GMS’s reputation and what real users have to say about their experience with the company.
Awards and Recognitions
GMS is routinely recognized for operational excellence and being a top workplace. Recent awards include:
- 2021 Best WorkplacesTM in Canada by Great Places to Work Institute Canada – 9th time
- 2024 List of Saskatchewan’s Top Employers by Mediacorp Canada – 7th time (Source)
- 2020 Canada’s Passion Capitalists by Waterstone Human Capital – 3rd time
This demonstrates GMS’s commitment to fostering a productive, engaging employee experience that translates to better client service.
Financial Stability and Management
As a private company, Group Medical Services does not disclose detailed financials. However, Great-West Lifeco does have an ownership stake in GMS, helping to ensure stable and prudent management.
GMS also maintains an A- (Excellent) rating from A.M. Best, an insurance company financial stability authority. This indicates a low risk of disruptions to clients and an excellent ability to pay out claims.
Comparing GMS to Competitors
When choosing an employee benefits provider, comparing GMS side-by-side with companies offering similar services is beneficial.
Here is an overview of how GMS distinguishes itself and how it compares to key Canadian competitors, specifically on group plans.
How GMS Stands Out
- History and Reputation: Few Canadian benefits providers match GMS’s 70+ year track record. Their reputation for quality and reliability is unmatched.
- Customization Options: GMS allows for tailoring group plans to meet a company’s particular employee population and benefits budget needs.
- Value for Premiums: Group Medical Services routinely benchmarks as offering intense coverage levels at very competitive rates compared to alternatives.
- Range of Add-Ons: Robust selections of voluntary add-ons like EFAP, life insurance and healthcare spending accounts.
- Small Business Focus: Group Medical Services caters extensively to smaller employers, from Group Advantage plans to custom offerings.
Main Competitors of GMS
Sun Life Financial
Compared to Group Medical Services, Sun Life offers more plan design flexibility for large corporations with thousands of employees to tailor benefits.
However, GMS provides better premium value for smaller groups under 500 employees. Sun Life also trails GMS in supplemental offerings like life insurance and disability.
Manulife
Similar to Sun Life, Manulife caters more to enterprise accounts with expansive plan design capabilities.
Group Medical Services beats Manulife for smaller firms, offering more accessible enrollment, lower premiums and better supplemental options. Manulife also needs to catch up in geographic reach, lacking an extensive cross-Canada provider network.
Blue Cross
Group Medical Services matches Blue Cross for no-hassle enrollment, a direct billing network, competitive premiums, and plan member support. However, Blue Cross has more limited plan configurations, while Group Management Services enables greater customization of group benefits packages.
Green Shield Canada
Green Shield is focused mainly on administering benefits plans rather than advising clients like GMS. It lacks the full-service approach to employee benefits that GMS provides, especially for smaller businesses new to offering group benefits.
In addition, you can learn more about other employee benefits providers in Canada, such as:
- Co-Operators Employee Benefits
- Medavie Blue Cross Employee Benefits
- Equitable Life of Canada Employee Benefits
- Saskatchewan Blue Cross Employee Benefits
Why Choose Group Medical Services for Employee Benefits
So why should you consider GMS for your company’s employee benefits needs over other providers? There are a few key advantages.
Benefits for Employers
- Attract and Retain Talent: With an aging workforce, benefits are becoming one of the top considerations for job seekers in Canada. Partnering with an established provider like Group Medical Services demonstrates that you invest in talent, helping you compete for in-demand workers.
- Increase Productivity: Research shows that employees with sufficient benefits report higher job satisfaction, engagement, and performance. Complete benefits from Group Medical Services support a productive, thriving workforce.
- Enhance Corporate Image: Offering robust benefits from a reputable, award-winning firm like ours boosts your employer brand and public image. It signals you put people first.
- Streamlined Administration: Between Group Advantage and easily customizable group plans, Group Medical Services simplifies benefits management, freeing up precious HR time and resources.
Benefits for Employees
- Comprehensive Coverage: Employees can access complete health, dental, life, disability and other essential protections for peace of mind.
- Convenience: Employee-centric features like direct billing and online claims through Group Medical Services networks make using benefits simple and fast.
- Access to Support Services: Value-added offerings like the EFAP program provide easily accessible mental health, wellness and development resources for employees.
- Affordability: GMS passes savings from providers through affordable premiums, helping benefits dollars go further for employees.
The bottom line
With decades of experience and expertise supporting companies across Canada, Group Medical Services stands out as a top provider of employee benefits solutions. Their group plans cater extensively to businesses of all sizes while offering employees exceptional service, premium value and convenience.
GMS deserves strong consideration if you’re looking for an established yet innovative partner for your company’s needs in terms of benefits. Reach out for a custom quote to learn more about how GMS can provide the proper fit of protection, coverage and add-ons to attract and retain top talent.
