New GreenShield data reveals that integrating mental health coverage and care improves health outcomes and drives cost savings for employers

Toronto, ON (Mar. 31, 2026) – A new report from GreenShield shows that when mental health coverage and care are integrated, Canadian employers can achieve a meaningful return on investment, while improving access to care and outcomes for employees.

The report, When coverage meets care: unlocking ROI through integrated mental health support, finds that offering insurance and mental health support through a single, connected model enables faster access to effective care and reduces downstream costs. GreenShield observed that for every dollar invested in integrated mental health coverage and care, $1.50 was returned through lower mental health claims by year two, even before accounting for the impacts of absenteeism or disability. Employers also saw members access support more quickly and experience greater continuity of care, contributing to measurable clinical improvements.

As Canada’s only national non-profit health care and insurance company, GreenShield combines coverage and care to improve health care access, convenience, integration, and outcomes for Canadians, in service of its social mission of Better Health for All. Operating across both benefits and care delivery enables GreenShield to generate insights through GreenShield+ – a seamlessly integrated health care and insurance solution – that help employers and policymakers understand what drives more effective mental health outcomes as demands on the system continue to rise.

Today, employers are facing growing pressure: the mental health needs of the workforce have outpaced traditional supports, demanding new approaches to care. In 2025, over half of Canadian employees (52 per cent) reported experiencing mental health challenges that affected their work,^[1] driving increased benefits claims, productivity losses, and a growing urgency for solutions that meet people’s unique needs. While many employers have expanded mental health benefits in response, access alone has not consistently translated into timely or effective care.

“Employee mental health supports and insurance have long been managed in silos, which can lead to delays and gaps in care,” says Joe Blomeley, Executive Vice President and Head of GreenShield Health. “As mental health needs continue to rise, employers have an opportunity, and a responsibility, to consider a more connected approach. Our data suggests that integrating coverage and care can help people access support sooner and contribute to better health outcomes over time.”

Key insights from the report

The findings point to three drivers of better mental health outcomes: speed of access, continuity of care, and integrated coverage.

• Faster access to care drives clinical improvement: Members could connect with an appropriately matched therapist in as little as 13 hours, with 75 per cent choosing to be seen within a week. Those who completed their first session within seven days of booking showed 25 per cent greater clinical improvement.
• Provider continuity improves outcomes: 96 per cent of members stayed with the therapist they were first matched with. Those who did reported 93 per cent satisfaction and, by the third session, demonstrated 70 per cent greater clinical improvement than those who rematched.
• Integrated care delivers return on investment: For every $1 invested in integrated mental health care and coverage, $1.50 was returned through lower mental health claims, before accounting for absence or disability impacts.

“For Canadian employers, the question is no longer whether to expand mental health support, it’s how to ensure those efforts lead to meaningful impact,” says Blomeley. “Our data shows that an integrated payer‑provider model can improve access and strengthen outcomes, while helping organizations see a clearer return on their investment.”

Coverage and care, all in one place

For many Canadians, navigating mental health support can feel fragmented and time‑consuming. Even when support exists, people often spend more effort figuring out where to go and what’s covered than actually receiving care. That complexity adds strain at a moment when individuals and employers need clarity, not confusion.

With GreenShield, users can check coverage, access care, and receive reimbursement, all in one place. For Canadians, it means less time navigating systems and more time taking care of their health. By reducing friction across the care journey, integrated models like this can support better outcomes for individuals and more sustainable mental health support for employers.

Access GreenShield’s full Health Outcomes Report.

Notes

1. MHRC: Mental Health in the Workplace 2025.

About GreenShield

As Canada’s only national non-profit health care and insurance organization, GreenShield believes health care is a right, not a privilege. We’re dedicated to improving health outcomes, driving systemic change, and building a future where every Canadian can reach their full health and well-being potential. We are revolutionizing the health care and insurance experience by bringing coverage and care together in one place. Through our unique integrated payer-provider (“payvider”) model, we offer insurance, administer benefits, and pay claims as a ‘payer’ while offering health care services such as mental health, pharmacy, telemedicine, and chronic disease management as a ‘provider’.

As a non-profit social enterprise without shareholders, we reinvest our excess earnings to directly support underserved communities. Through GreenShield Cares, we positively impacted the health and well-being of over one million Canadians between 2020 and 2025.

What’s driving us now is the commitment to measurably impact an additional three million Canadians by 2030 – across mental health, essential medicines, and chronic disease management – through scalable initiatives that deliver meaningful change in pursuit of our mission of Better Health for All. GreenShield is proud to be recognized multiple times as one of Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures, certified annually as a leading Imagine Canada Caring Company, and honoured with repeat placement on Fortune’s prestigious Change the World list – a testament to our sustained commitment to purpose-driven innovation and impact. For more information, visit greenshield.ca.

SOURCE: GreenShield

Tags: benefits, Green Shield Canada (GSC), mental health care