Manitoba Blue Cross has delivered quality benefits solutions in the region for over 80 years. This review takes an in-depth look at Manitoba Blue Cross employee benefits to see why they are considered one of the top benefits providers in Canada.

What are Manitoba Blue Cross Employee Benefits?

Manitoba Blue Cross provides various insurance products to support health, wellness and financial security. For companies, they offer customizable group benefits packages with health, dental, disability, life insurance and more. Employees insured through Manitoba B. C. plans get access to benefits coverage and support services.

What Services Does Manitoba Blue Cross Provide for Employers?

Manitoba Blue Cross acts as a benefits carrier for employers, taking care of plan administration, claims management and member support. Critical services offered include:

• Group health benefits plan design and pricing. Experts help companies select the right benefits and levels based on their budgets and needs.
• Online administration. Employers get access to easy-to-use online tools to enrol staff, update records, access reports and more.
• Ongoing support. From HR training to plan analysis and renewal guidance, Manitoba Blue Cross advisors provide ongoing assistance.
• Disability management. Proactive disability management helps minimize claims and return employees to work safely.
• Wellness programs. Workplace wellness assessments, training and campaigns help engage employees in health.

Employers can focus more on key business priorities by partnering with Manitoba Blue Cross for administration and claims management.

What Benefits Can Employees Get Through Manitoba Blue Cross Plans?

Manitoba B. C. group plans offer various insurance benefits that support employee health, finance and quality of life. Core benefits include:

• Health insurance covers services like drugs, vision, paramedical practitioners, and dental plans for checkups, fillings, crowns, and more.
• Disability insurance replacing income during illness/injury.
• Life insurance pays beneficiaries in the event of death.
• Travel medical insurance for emergency medical treatment out-of-province.

Additional benefits may include critical illness insurance, vision care, spending accounts and an employee assistance program. Employees can submit claims online and access medical IDs on their smartphones.

How Does Manitoba Blue Cross Support Health and Wellness?

Manitoba Blue Cross aims to promote health and well-being in the communities where members live and work. Along with benefit plans, they offer:

• A wellness program with tools for managing stress, improving fitness, learning mindfulness and more.
• An employee assistance program provides counselling, work-life advice, and more.
• Free CPR training for organized community groups.
• Partnerships with health charities like the Heart & Stroke Foundation.

This focus on whole health provides added value for groups insured with Manitoba Blue Cross.

Why Choose Manitoba Blue Cross for Employee Benefits?

With origins dating back over 80 years, Manitoba B. C. has deep roots in the region’s benefits industry. Several vital advantages make them stand out as a top provider.

How Long Has Manitoba Blue Cross Been Providing Benefits in Canada?

Manitoba Blue Cross began in 1938 as the Manitoba Hospital Service Association. This non-profit organization introduced the first hospital care plan in the province. 1974, they joined the Canadian Association of Blue Cross Plans and adopted the nationally recognized Blue Cross brand.

For over 80 years, Manitoba Blue Cross has been helping Manitobans access quality benefits. This long history brings extensive experience tailoring coverage for local workforces.

Source: https://www2.mb.bluecross.ca/about-us/who-we-are

What Makes Manitoba Blue Cross Stand Out as a Benefits Provider?

Manitoba B. C. can focus purely on meeting community health needs as a homegrown not-for-profit. Key standout features include:

• It is a non-profit model. Instead of maximizing shareholder profit, the Manitoba Blue Cross invests in benefits, infrastructure, and the community.
• Local focus. Headquartered in Manitoba, they take a hands-on approach and leverage insights into provincial labour forces.
• Health partners. Extensive partnerships with medical groups, hospitals and health charities aim to improve care.
• Plan variety. A wide range of group benefits options makes it easy to find the right fit.
• Member experience. Award-winning service and access options like online claims make insurance effortless.

This blend of extensive experience and local focus provides distinctive value. Manitoba Blue Cross has gained in-depth knowledge of the provincial benefits landscape over its long history in the region. A non-profit model and health system partnerships enable investments in the community.

What Advantages Does Manitoba Blue Cross Offer Employers?

For Manitoba employers, critical advantages of choosing Manitoba Blue Cross for group benefits include:

• Cost savings from provider partnerships and generic drug promotions.
• Turnkey administration through online group portals and HR support.
• Local expertise in provincial labour needs and benefits trends.
• Customization to design plans meeting workforce needs and budgets.
• Disability management expertise to safely return employees to work.
• Guided renewal support to minimize premium increases.
• Health promotion programs that engage employees in wellness.

These advantages add up to benefits solutions that fully support the needs of Manitoba-based organizations.

What Advantages Does Manitoba Blue Cross Offer Employees?

Employees covered through a Manitoba B. C. workplace plan can enjoy advantages like:

• Competitive coverage for health, dental, vision, travel and more.
• Convenient claims processing with the Manitoba Blue Cross app and website.
• Quick access to coverage details and e-claims through the online member portal.
• Savings on medical, vision care, fitness and wellness through the Blue Advantage program.
• 24/7 live support and health assistance if travelling or facing a crisis.
• Health and wellness guidance through online tools and the member assistance program.

For employees, these advantages mean benefits coverage that is easy to understand and access when care is needed most.

Manitoba Blue Cross Group Plan Options

Manitoba Blue Cross offers extensive flexibility with the group benefits it administers. Companies can mix and match plan components to meet specific workforce needs and budgets.

What Health Insurance Plans Does Manitoba Blue Cross Offer?

Manitoba Blue Cross group health plans help cover services not included under provincial healthcare, such as drugs, dental, vision, and alternative treatments. Core components include:

• Prescription drug plans cover from 80% to 100% of medication costs.
• Extended health for paramedical visits, medical devices, vision care and more.
• Travel health plans covering emergency treatment out of province.
• Dental plans span preventative, restorative, orthodontic and significant treatments.
• Ambulance and hospital coverage for semi-private rooms, with unique benefits like hostel accommodation allowances.

Health plans can be customized by adjusting reimbursement percentages and benefit caps and including practitioner types.

What Dental Plans Are Available from Manitoba Blue Cross?

Manitoba B. C. provides extensive dental coverage options with three primary levels of care:

• The basic dental plan comprises preventive services like exams, cleanings, fillings, and extractions.
• Restorative coverage adds treatments like crowns, bridges and dentures.
• Orthodontic coverage includes braces and other treatments to straighten teeth.

Dental plans can be implemented incrementally, starting with preventative care.

What Additional Benefits Can Be Added to Manitoba Blue Cross Plans?

To round out health and dental coverage, Manitoba B. C. offers a range of supplementary group benefits, including:

• Vision care plans cover eye exams, glasses and contacts.
• Out-of-country emergency medical treatment through comprehensive travel insurance plans.
• Employee assistance programs providing confidential counselling and work-life support.
• Spending accounts for covering health costs or wellness expenses not covered elsewhere.
• Wellness programs guide employees on fitness, mental health, nutrition, sleep and finances.
• Disability insurance protects income in the event of a disabling accident or illness.
• Life insurance pays out lump sums to beneficiaries in the event of employee death.

How Can Employers Customize a Manitoba Blue Cross Benefits Package?

Every company has unique benefits, needs, and budgets. With Manitoba B. C., customization is accessible with:

• A modular approach allows employers to select only the plans their workforce requires.
• Flexibility around included benefits, caps, copays and deductibles.
• Customization of life insurance amounts based on flat sums, income replacement or salary multiples.
• Optional wellness programs tailored to identified workplace health needs.

While benefits consultants guide plan design, employers make the final plan decisions. This ensures a package meeting organizational needs and priorities.

Manitoba Blue Cross Costs and Administration

Manitoba Blue Cross looks to contain benefit costs through careful design while simplifying administrative tasks for HR staff.

How Does Pricing for Manitoba Blue Cross Benefits Compare?

Manitoba B. C. leverages several strategies to make group benefits affordable, including:

• Promoting generic medication use through lower copays compared to brand-name drugs.
• Partnering with pharmacies, dentists and vision providers to negotiate lower rates.
• Focusing plans on services proven to provide value and minimize future health issues.
• Offering extensive plan flexibility to tailor benefits to budget parameters.
• Providing data-driven renewal guidance to help minimize annual cost increases.

For most employers, Manitoba Blue Cross group plans are cost-competitive compared to significant insurance providers. Their non-profit approach reduces overhead and removes profit margin from the pricing.

What Online Administration Tools Does Manitoba Blue Cross Provide?

Manitoba Blue Cross has invested heavily in online tools so employers can easily manage benefits plans. Capabilities include:

• Enrolling new employees and updating records through a secure online portal.
• Ordering ID cards and producing coverage reports.
• Remitting premium payments and accessing billing statements.
• Download brochures, claim forms, and administrative resources.

The portal enables administrators to handle virtually all ongoing plan tasks digitally in just minutes per month.

How Does Manitoba Blue Cross Support Employers with Benefits Management?

In addition to online tools, Manitoba B. C. advisors provide ongoing support with the following:

• Renewal consultations reviewing costs and emerging needs 12-15 months after implementation.
• Regular check-ins to identify any coverage gaps and education opportunities.
• Year-end reconciliation of premium payments with overall claim costs.
• Benchmark reporting illuminating plan utilization and costs.
• Employer and employee education sessions on-site or virtually when requested.

This support makes benefits administration nearly effortless while optimizing value from the chosen plans.

Employee Experience with Manitoba Blue Cross

Understanding employee perspectives provides critical insights into how well a benefits provider performs. Reviews highlight the positive experiences members have with Manitoba Blue Cross.

What do Employee Reviews Say About Manitoba Blue Cross Benefits?

Manitoba B. C. consistently earns four stars and above across employer review sites like Glassdoor, Indeed, and Google. Employees praise:

• Comprehensive benefits, with dental and prescription drug coverage.
• Quick claims processing, with many utilizing direct-pay options.
• Excellent customer service when inquiring about claims or coverage.
• Benefits packages that are at or above industry norms.
• Coverage that is affordable for both employees and dependents.

Negative feedback is limited. Some employees report issues with specific claims being denied or Extra Benefits Plan reimbursement maximums. Reviews confirm that Manitoba Blue Cross provides strong coverage and a smooth member experience.

How Does Manitoba Blue Cross Make the Claims Process Easy?

Convenient claims management ensures employees get timely access to benefits. Key features that simplify things include:

• Direct payment is made to dental offices, pharmacies, and other providers, so members have no upfront costs.
• Fast online claims submission via the member site and mobile app.
• Interac e-transfers are issued directly to member bank accounts, often within 48 hours, for fast reimbursement.
• Explanations of benefits accessible online that outline how claims are adjudicated.
• Ongoing claims statements to track balances and payments by benefit type.
• Toll-free customer assistance and emergency after-hours support for travel claims.

This claims experience keeps the insurance process smooth and efficient for employees.

What Member Perks Come with Manitoba Blue Cross Coverage?

Beyond benefits coverage, employees get additional advantages like:

• Discount programs save 10% to 50% off prescriptions, vision care, fitness products, medical supplies and more.
• Online health resources support fitness, nutrition, mental health, financial wellness, and more.
• Coverage for work and life services like financial coaching, legal advice and grief counselling.
• Guidance from the Health Navigation Centre on managing complex medical conditions and treatments.
• Free CPR and first aid training through partnerships with the Canadian Red Cross.

These value-added services enhance the overall experience as a Manitoba Blue Cross member.

Why Manitoba Blue Cross is a Top Employee Benefits Provider in Canada

Manitoba Blue Cross is a best-in-class employee benefits provider in Canada, besides Equitable Life, Sun Life, Green Shield Canada Employee Benefits and Saskatchewan Blue Cross Employee Benefits, etc. thanks to its non-profit roots, focus on health and local connection.

How Does Manitoba Blue Cross Benefit Local Communities?

As a local company, Manitoba B. C. looks for ways to invest in community well-being, including:

• A part of pre-tax profits are donated to health charities and medical research through the Manitoba Blue Cross Foundation.
• Sponsoring free CPR training for Manitobans annually in partnership with the Red Cross.
• Funding scholarships for Indigenous youth pursuing post-secondary education in healthcare fields.
• Matching employee donations to registered charities dollar for dollar.
• Providing expertise to help community groups address workplace health needs.

This community-minded approach creates meaningful social impacts and blends health, wellness and learning.

What Makes Manitoba Blue Cross Stand Out From Competitors?

While other insurers operate countrywide, Manitoba B. C. focuses specifically on meeting the needs of local workforces. Advantages include:

• Direct relationships with Manitoba healthcare providers for better cost management.
• Insights into provincial labour and benefits trends that outside insurers need to improve.
• Customization matches the coverage valued most by local employers and employees.
• A wellness mindset is looking to improve community health outcomes proactively.
• Reinvestment of profits back into Manitoba charities and causes.

This deep regional focus allows Manitoba Blue Cross to craft benefits plans tailored for prairie workforces.

What Value Does Manitoba Blue Cross Bring as a Benefits Provider?

For over 80 years, Manitoba B. C. has delivered value by:

• Making benefits understandable and accessible for members when they need them most.
• Optimizing plans to meet specific workplace risks, health challenges and budget factors.
• Investing in health promotion and workplace wellness for long-term community impacts.
• Providing unmatched regional insights and partnerships in the Manitoba benefits landscape.
• Imparting flexibility so employers retain control over their benefits strategies.
• Supporting long-term viability of benefits through reinvestment of profits to improve systems.

This steadfast focus on crafting community-centric benefits programs that balance employee needs and business realities is why most Manitoba workplaces trust Manitoba Blue Cross.

Conclusion

After 80+ years of helping Manitobans access quality benefits, Manitoba B. C. has firmly established itself as a top employee benefits provider in Canada. Their non-profit roots, focus on health and wellness, and long-standing local presence enable highly customized benefits solutions tailored for prairie employers and workforces. Manitoba Blue Cross leverages provincial partnerships and insights to deliver substantial value.

With options spanning health, dental care, life, disability, and support programs, Manitoba Blue Cross allows companies to design benefit plans matching their workforce needs and budgets.

For employees, they make benefits easy to understand and access through convenient online portals, extensive provider partnerships and award-winning support teams. Manitoba Blue Cross is an ideal benefits partner for organizations looking to provide maximum coverage while optimizing cost-efficiency.

Finding the right employee benefits provider is an important decision for any business in Canada. With a range of options to choose from, it’s helpful to understand the landscape of top providers across the country. Some of the leading employee benefits providers in Canada include:

• Assumption Life Employee Benefits in Canada
• Medavie Blue Cross Employee Benefits
• Pacific Blue Cross Employee Benefits
• Equitable Life of Canada Employee Benefits
• Saskatchewan Blue Cross Employee Benefits

Article Sources

At Ebsource, we are committed to empowering Canadians to make prudent choices about employee benefits and human resources strategies. We provide comprehensive, impartial information so Canadians can understand all their options and select what best suits their needs. Our advice comes from veteran finance experts, aligned with industry best practices. We exclusively cite statistics from respected government and industry bodies like Statistics Canada, guaranteeing total accuracy.

We thoroughly and objectively research major Canadian benefits providers so we can tailor recommendations to individuals’ specific budgets and priorities. Ebsource upholds stringent standards of independence and transparency in everything we publish. We pride ourselves on offering reliable guidance by referencing reputable sources and adhering to strict editorial principles. As Canada’s definitive source for employee benefits news and HR knowledge, our sole purpose is to empower Canadians by furnishing the information required to make optimal benefits decisions.

Group plans – mb.bluecross.ca
Manitoba Blue Cross – en.wikipedia.org