Collective mental health is in crisis and continues to deteriorate within companies. The group insurance industry is looking for ways to help its clients stem the tide, but improvement is slow in coming.
Published in September 2025, the TELUS Mental Health Index report revealed that the anxiety score has been the lowest sub score on the index for at least three years. This is the most recent TELUS Health index at the time of writing.
At 55.5, the anxiety sub score falls within the "strained” mental health range, which is between 50 and 79. Below 50, the index considers mental health to be distressed. Above 79, it is considered optimal. According to the index report, 35% of workers are at high risk of mental health problems.
SMEs are taking action
Some small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have chosen to tackle the problem head-on. This is the case for the life insurance managing general agent, Financière S_Entiel. Vice President of Business Development, Frédéric Perman, revealed to the Insurance Portal that his MGA has just implemented an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and access to telemedicine for 30 advisors.
"We are fully funding it," Perman stated in an email exchange on January 21, 2026. Perman says it is important to support his clients – the advisors – with regard to mental health and also with respect to healthcare system accessibility.
“We increasingly need to ensure we develop a human connection with our advisors. I see them becoming increasingly vulnerable, and the issue of mental health is a real concern,” he observes. He notes that the initiative has been very well received.
“Our Employee Assistance Program is provided by People Corporation, and the telemedicine service by Maple. We offer it to our advisors. We established a budget and therefore limited it to 30 enrollments, targeting productive advisors. For us, [the goal] is really to invest in prevention and give them access to health services when needed,” explains Perman. He specifies that none of these advisors are working exclusively with his managing general agent.
A commission hears insurers
Between January and February 2024, the Mental Health Commission of Canada held a series of roundtables on the issue of mental health in the workplace, in which the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA) participated. On December 12, 2025, the Commission released a report entitled Public Private Insurers System Capacity Roundtable. The CLHIA issued a statement the same day, welcoming one of the report's conclusions: the need for collaboration between the public and private sectors.
Among the CLHIA members, GreenShield and Manulife are listed individually as having participated in the roundtables. The names of TELUS Health, Health Canada, and the Canadian Institute for Health Information also appear. The Canadian Psychological Association, the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association, and Mental Health Research Canada are also included. The three roundtables welcomed more than 50 participants.
Young people and women at higher risk
In its report, the Mental Health Commission of Canada makes further findings. Among other things, it notes the need to invest more in accessibility and pay greater attention to inequalities.
For example, young people are particularly affected by mental health problems, according to a study conducted by Mental Health Research Canada in partnership with GreenShield.
Entitled A Generation Under Pressure: Economic and Employment Challenges on Youth Mental Health, the study report was published in November 2025. It reveals that 27% of young people aged 29 and under expressed a need for mental health support, compared to only 17% of those aged 30 and over.
The report also illustrates gender gaps. It states that women are much more likely than men to report that financial pressures affect their mental health. The report also reveals that 33% of women say they experience financial difficulties, compared to 24% of men. Health issues disproportionately affect Gen Z and women.
In a recent survey of its group benefits clients, Sun Life discovered that more than 50% of long-term disability claims among Generation Z are related to mental health issues. Among Generation Z women, this reaches 60%, reveals the report entitled The kids are all grown, Checking in on Generation Z.
Generation Z refers to people born between 1997 and 2012. The Sun Life report is based on data from more than 20,000 employers and over 3 million employees across the country. The data collected covers the year 2024.
Women are also more at risk with regard to some aspects of mental health. On December 18, the Insurance Portal revealed that women are more affected than men by mood disorders. According to Statistics Canada, 7% of people aged 65 and over reported receiving a diagnosis of a mood disorder between 2015 and 2023. Women were more likely to report a mood disorder, at 8.3% of the sample, compared to 5.5% of men.
“People with a mood disorder experience negative emotions more intensely and for a longer period than others. They may have a difficult time controlling their emotions, which in turn affects their mental and physical health, as well as influencing their behaviour,” explains the Government of Quebec on its website, The main types of mood disorders include depression, bipolar disorder, and dysthymia.
Impact on medications
In its report, Sun Life reveals that, from 2021 to 2024, claims for medications related to antidepressants increased twice as fast among Generation Z as among all group plan participants. Among men, antidepressant use increased by more than 50% between 2021 and 2024.
The report also indicates that claims for medications for chronic illnesses are also on the rise. Claims for medications that treat asthma, diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol are two to three times higher among Generation Z participants.
Money left on the table
Meanwhile, insured individuals are hesitant to use the tools offered by their employer through their group insurance plan. Employee Assistance Program (EAP) usage remains anemic. In an email exchange with the Insurance Portal, Marilyn Grand’Maison, Director, Research & Insights at TELUS Health, writes that she observes an average annual EAP usage rate of 4.1% across all sectors in Canada.
This finding is all the more disheartening given that implementing an EAP generates a positive return for every dollar invested. “Assuming this usage rate (4.1%) and using total compensation, an employer can expect a return on investment of $2.50” per dollar invested in implementing an EAP,” reveals Grand’Maison. She specifies that this return on investment is based on the TELUS Health EAP. “Our calculations are based on a productivity recovery model following service use,” adds Grand’Maison. She explains that TELUS Health’s model takes into account the usage rate and uses an average total compensation of $71,650. According to TELUS Health, this is compensation representative of the average Canadian worker, which includes salary and benefits.
With respect to health and wellness programs in general, the return on investment that a company can expect will depend on many factors, emphasizes Sarah Berkane, program director at coesion SP (formerly Groupe Entreprise en Santé), in a message exchange with the Insurance Portal via .
Berkane is cautious about the data circulating in the industry, namely a return of $1.50 to $3.80 for every dollar invested in a program (for example, Forbes magazine mentioned it).
“Regarding return on investment, we use this data sparingly, as it varies greatly depending on the study, and there are few studies on integrated programs,” she wrote.
Sarah Berkane provided the Insurance Portal with a document prepared by coesion SP to help companies calculate the costs of what the organization calls “non-health.” Direct costs include absenteeism, group insurance premiums, and in Quebec, contributions to the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST). Indirect costs include presenteeism, staff turnover, replacing an absent employee, and the costs of managing disability claims.
What group Insurance may look like in 10 years
Organized by the Insurance Journal Publishing Group, since 2021, the Congrès Collectif 2026 (Group Insurance Conference) will take place on February 26 at the Palais des congrès de Montréal. The French-language event will feature, among other things, a session entitled La santé et le bien-être des employés au travail : comprendre pour mieux agir (Employee health and well-being at work: understanding to take better action.)
At the opening of the event, we will unveil the results of a meeting held a day earlier. Organized by the Insurance Journal Publishing Group, the Vision 2035 workshop is designed as a collaborative reflection and strategic planning exercise, taking the form of a co-design workshop focused on innovation and creativity. 30 industry leaders will participate.
