Canada Life Onboards League to Integrate Flexible Benefits

Need to Know

• Canada Life—the outcome of the acquisition from parent company Great-West Life—is onboarding League services to offer employees more flexibility in the health services they have covered under group insurance plans
• League’s Health Benefits Experience (HBX) platform allows employees to individually customize benefits and insurance plans by choosing healthcare coverage for the areas they value most.
• Canada Life currently serves 13 million employees.
• One of the biggest struggles for insurers and growing businesses is offering flexible benefits for diverse populations, without increasing cost for employees.
• 92% of employees say benefits are important to their overall experience at work.

Analysis

Canada Life, a subsidiary of one of Canada’s largest health insurance provider Great-West Life, is bringing League’s flexible benefits and healthcare technology to client companies.

League is an all-in-one digital account and app where employees can manage their insurance, book appointments, buy personalized wellness services, and speak directly to a registered nurse—directly from their smartphone. 

As an insurance platform, League is visionary in how it has streamlined user experience to empower employees to truly use the flexibility in their benefits to their advantage. What comes along with that is the ease of administering flexible plans for employers.

“We are always looking for new and innovative ways to support the financial, physical and mental well-being of Canadians,” says Roger Maguet, SVP of plan sponsor services at Canada Life. “League’s platform makes it easy for plan members to find, understand, and use the programs available to them, and helps drive engagement via personalized health programs, communications and concierge services. This can mean better health outcomes for our plan members and lower costs for plan sponsors.” 

The League platform, called the Health Benefits Experience (HBX), includes flexible benefits administration capabilities for both plan sponsors and plan members, and integrates more than 100 healthcare providers and HR and information systems. A Toronto-grown startup originating from MaRS Discovery District, League hs already been a top Canadian startup for a few years, and now, it’s a force to be reckoned with, especially as it partners with more and more healthcare and insurance providers. 

“Leading employers have offered flexible and personalized benefit offerings for some time – now they want the right technology in place to support employees in selecting and using what’s right for them and their families,” says Mike Serbinis, founder and CEO of League. “League’s HBX platform leverages the best in plan design, data and technology to deliver personalized support at enrollment and year-round. We are pleased to be working with a leading insurer like Canada Life to offer a single access hub that permits plan sponsors to easily launch, offer and scale new benefit offerings, and engage plan members with all of their insurance, health and well-being programs.”

League initially grew as an app to connect customers to health services, but found its’ place in the insurance industry, seeing as most people access those services through benefits plans. Serbinis has exited several successful companies including Kobo. While most employees are engaging with their health insurance companies a few times a year, League aims for touchpoints every week or month to help people with preventative and wellness checks to maintain wellbeing over time. 

By empowering people to be able to better access health services—quicker, easier, and on their phones—League is hoping to better support employee’s growing and shifting concerns, like mental health and wellness.