Is Manulife Health Insurance Worth It? 2024 Review

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Alexandre Desoutter updated on 19 October 2023

Did you know that over 30% of medical costs in Canada are not covered by your provincial healthcare? Most families end up paying this out of the pocket leaving them with a huge financial burden. That's why it's essential to have a good private health insurance.

Among the many insurance providers in the country, Manulife Health Insurance is one of the options you could consider. But is it the right choice for you?

In this review, we take you through the various plans, coverage, and pros and cons of Manulife health insurance, so you can decide if it's the best option for you. You also get to compare Manulife with other health insurances and get quotes tailor-made for you using our free comparator.

6 Key takeaways on Manulife Health Insurance

  1. Manulife offers comprehensive health insurance plans with dental and drug benefits.
  2. An online portal for easy access to information and claims with Manulife health insurance login.
  3. The Vitality program provides opportunities to earn rewards.
  4. The cost of Manulife health insurance depends on factors like age, gender, and optional benefits.
  5. The policy covers prescription drugs, paramedical services, vision care, and more.
  6. Our comparator lets you compare Manulife with other insurances and also get quotes.

Our Manulife health insurance review: The most comprehensive options

Manulife offers many comprehensive plans - whether you are looking for dental benefits, drug benefits, or a combination, you will be able to find a plan that works for your needs.

They have a comprehensive online portal offering easy access to your benefit information and to submit a claim online. All health and dental plans have the option to add Manulife Vitality which gives you the opportunity to earn rewards and save on how much you pay.

Manulife private health insurance is a choice for you if you do not have benefits through your employer, you are losing your group coverage, or if you would like additional benefits not offered by your employer’s or provincial coverage (like AHCIP, MSP in BC) such as dental or medication-only coverage.

Pros

  • Manulife Vitality rewards program
  • Submit claims online or via the app
  • Option to choose dental-only, medication-only, or a combination plan
  • Option of having private or semi-private hospital room with all plans

Cons

  • Some Manulife health insurance reviews note that hospital benefits are not automatically included
  • Basic traveller’s insurance only covers the first 9 days of a trip
  • No specific plan for retirees

You could get a quote from Manulife personal health insurance based on your unique needs and see if it's the right fit for you.

How much is Manulife health insurance?

Your Manulife health insurance cost will be determined by your individual circumstances. Manulife will use a number of factors to calculate your premium such as:

  • age
  • gender
  • addition of optional benefits
  • the number of lives on your plan (individual, family, etc.)
  • smoker status

A 30-year-old woman living in Toronto opting for a CoverMe ComboPlus Basic Plan without dental could expect to pay $96.90 per month to Manulife health insurance Ontario.

To make sure you are getting the best plan for the best price, you must first establish what you want from your policy. Take a look at the table below to see some of the variables affecting pricing.

Non-smoker, Ontario*ComboPlus Starter PlanComboPlus Basic Plan
30-year-old man
$96.90 / month$111.10 / month
50-year-old man
$132.8 / month$154.10 / month
30-year-old woman
$96.90 / month$111.10 / month
50-year-old woman
$132.8 / month$154.10 / month
Manulife health insurance cost

*The rates are for Manulife health insurance Ontario and assumes that the purchaser has Ontario provincial health plan (OHIP)

To make sure you are getting the best plan for the best price, you must first establish what you want from your health insurance policy. The price of Manulife personal health insurance like other providers varies greatly depending on your history, age, the coverage options offered, your province, and more affect pricing.

While it might seem like a daunting process to get the right health insurance, we've got you covered. All you need to do is use our free comparator below to compare Manulife prices, coverage, and get personalised quotes from other best health insurances in Canada to help you make the best decision.


Compare The Best Health Insurance Plans and Rates on the market!

Get a quote

What does Manulife health insurance cover?

Manulife individual health insurance coverage pays for expenses that are not covered by your provincial healthcare.

Some expenses that Manulife covers include:

CoverageExplained
Prescription drugs
Covers the partial cost of prescription medicines
Physiotherapists, chiropractors, psychologists
Covers the use of paramedical services
Vision care
Partially covers the cost of eye healthcare and lenses
Nursing and ambulance services
Covers transport to hospital and after-hospital care
Therapeutic equipment (orthotics, prosthetics, etc.)
Covers the cost of medical equipment you may need
Travel insurance
Covers healthcare costs while out of your province.
Manulife health coverage

The company also offers a mobile healthcare app that allows you to research drug plans, manage prescriptions and review your claims.

What types of health insurance does Manulife offer?

Manulife has seven tiers of plans designed to suit your specific needs:

  • DrugPlus Basic
  • DrugPlus Enhanced
  • DentalPlus Basic
  • DentalPlus Enhanced
  • ComboPlus Starter
  • ComboPlus Basic
  • ComboPlus Enhanced

All plans come with varying degrees of vision coverage and $250,000 extended health care over a lifetime for registered specialists and therapists, orthotics, hearing aids, home care, medical equipment and more (after government health plan maximums are reached).

Hospital, additional vision care, travel and accidental death and dismemberment can be added to each plan.

PlanComboPlus StarterComboPlus BasicComboPlus Enhanced
Prescription Drugs
$525/Year$5,000/Year$10,000/Year
Dental Care – Ongoing Maintenance
$400/Year$750/Year$920/Year
Oral surgery, periodontics, endodontics
Year 1: 60% Year 2: 60% Year 3+: 80%
Major restorative dental care
Year 1: 0%
Year 2+: 60%
Vision Care
$150 every 2 Years$250 every 2 Years$250 every 2 Years
Extended Health Care
$250,000 Lifetime$250,000 Lifetime$250,000 Lifetime
Manulife health plans coverage
PlanDrugPlus BasicDrugPlus EnhancedDentalPlus BasicDentalPlus Enhanced
Prescription Drugs
$5,000/Year$5,000/Year
Dental Care – Ongoing Maintenance
Year 1: $575
Year 2+: $750/ Year
Year 1: $840
Year 2+: $920/Year
Oral surgery, periodontics, endodontics
Year 1: 0%
Year 2: 60%
Year 3+: 80%
Major restorative dental care
Year 1: 0%
Year 2+: 60%
Vision Care
$250 every 2 Years$250 every 2 Years$250 every 2 Years$250 every 2 Years
Extended Health Care
$250,000 Lifetime$250,000 Lifetime$250,000 Lifetime$250,000 Lifetime
Manulife insurance drug and dental plans coverage

For more information, see this PDF of Manulife CoverMe health insurance:

What extras does Manulife offer?

Manulife allows you to purchase extras to add to your primary plans in order to increase your coverage, either for more serious health problems, like accidental death and dismemberment insurance or for things that are usually excluded, like travel insurance.

Extra coverageWhat it protects
Manulife Vitality
A rewards program
Hospital
Provides cash to cover day-to-day hospital stay expenses
Travel insurance
Protects you if you become ill or are injured while travelling
Additional vision care
Increases the coverage limits for eye care
Accidental death and dismemberment
Insures you in case of mutilation, amputation or death by accident
Manulife Canada health insurance

Can I get Manulife travel health insurance?

Manulife health plans offer emergency travel coverage of $5,000,000. But you will have to check your specific plan to know the extent of your travel insurance coverage as different plans have different coverage, also based on your unique needs.

Travel insurance is a wise investment because provincial health insurance plans cover less once you are out of your home province. This means expenses can quickly escalate out of control if you become unwell or suffer an accident while travelling.

If you are travelling abroad then you may not have any access to any health care services at all without having an insurance plan in place. In some countries, such as the USA, you will have to pay upfront for any medical treatment that you need.

Considering you are not already protected, you can purchase a travel add-on to your policy or buy Manulife travel insurance for comprehensive coverage as a separate insurance policy.

If you'd like to see how Manulife policies fare when compared to other insurances, you could use our comparator below to get quick quotes and coverage and pricing info from Canada's best health insurances. The tool is free to use and you get personalised quotes in no time.


Compare The Best Health Insurance Plans and Rates on the market!

Get a quote

What does Manulife dental insurance cover?

While Canada’s public system covers lots of healthcare needs, access to dental care is not included. Dental care is important to one’s overall health. Since it can be a major expense, too many people skip preventive treatment.

That is a mistake, as regular preventive care helps prevent gum disease, which is linked to conditions like heart disease, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. Additionally, it can help you to detect other medical complications early.

A supplemental dental insurance plan can help, so let's see what Manulife health and dental insurance offers.

Manulife offers two stand-alone dental plans and also offers dental benefits in all three combination plans; however, each plan will have differing benefits.

Ongoing dental maintenance found in all plans will include:

  • Exams
  • Diagnostics
  • Preventative
  • Select extractions
  • Polishing

Services covered under Enhanced (not Basic or Starter plans) include:

  • Spacer maintenance
  • Denture repair
  • Anesthesia
  • Crowns
  • Bridges
  • Orthodontics (braces)
Dental PlanYear one coverageYear two and beyond
DentalPlus Basic
Year 1: 50% of first $1,150 (up to $575 every year)
Check-ups every 9 months
Year 2+: 80% of first $400 and 50% of next $860 (up to $750 every year)
Check-ups every 9 months
DentalPlus Enhanced
Year 1: 70% of first $1,200 (up to $840 every year)
Check-ups every 6 months
Year 2+: 100% of first $500 and 60% of next $700 (up to $920 every year)
Check-ups every 6 months
ComboPlus Starter
70% of the first $575 (up to $400 every year)
Check-ups every 9 months
70% of the first $575 (up to $400 every year)
Check-ups every 9 months
ComboPlus Basic
80% of first $400 and 50% of next $860 (up to $750 every year)
Check-ups every 9 months
80% of first $400 and 50% of next $860 (up to $750 every year)
Check-ups every 9 months
ComboPlus Enhanced
100% of first $500 and 60% of next $700 (up to $920 every year)
Check-ups every 6 months
100% of first $500 and 60% of next $700 (up to $920 every year)
Check-ups every 6 months
Manulife health insurance Canada

What is Costco Manulife health insurance?

Manulife has an offer which allows Costco members special savings rates, executive members can save up to 5%. As a Costco member, you get set premiums which will not change with your health over the years and Survivor's coverage which will support your dependents for one year if you die unexpectedly.

Manulife costco health insurance offers members a choice between standard Health and Dental Insurance and the FollowMe plan. The FollowMe Health plan is a guaranteed health insurance policy, which means there are no medical questionnaires and no check-ups, everyone can get this policy no matter their health history.

Good to know

Purchases of Costco Manulife Health and Dental insurance will also be eligible for getting discounts when fulfilling drug or optical prescriptions at Costco Wholesale.

How to get Manulife health insurance?

You can get a Manulife health insurance quote by using our comparator below. It's free to use and lets you get personalised quotes in no time. It also allows you to compare quotes with other health insurances so you can decide what's the best option for you.


Compare The Best Health Insurance Plans and Rates on the market!

Get a quote

Alternatively you can head to their website, choosing the plan that suits you best and giving your age, address and picking the amount of coverage that you need. Some of Manulife's health insurance policies may require medical questionnaires. Answer these accurately to determine your eligibility and premium rates.

Once you've shared the questionnaire you will be presented with different options from Manulife and you can go ahead and pick the one that suits you the best. But we strongly recommend comparing options before you make a purchase.

If your application is approved, you'll need to pay the required premiums to activate your health insurance coverage.

Manulife financial health insurance.
Manulife login

You can also request a quote through a broker, or you can call a representative directly on the Manulife health insurance contact number: 1-800-268-3763.

Good to know

Some of Manulife's health insurance policies require a medical questionnaire. It may be worth consulting with your doctor if there is anything in your medical history which might prevent you from being accepted.

Manulife health insurance login

You can access your personal account on the Manulife website by clicking the Log On button on the top right of the homepage. You will need your username and password. Once you have unlocked your account you will be able to manage your claims, see upcoming prescriptions and alter your drug plans.

Managing your account online is a great way to stay on top of your health insurance rather than waiting for monthly postal updates. It allows you to stay flexible and alter your plan as your life circumstances change. Managing your prescriptions online allows you to change which pharmacy you pick up from if you are on the move.

Manulife health insurance app

Using Manulife's app allows you access to Akira by TELUS Health. This lets you get in touch with a healthcare professional, any time, day or night. This means you can ask health questions or questions about the level of coverage you need easily and from the comfort of your own home.

You can download the app via the Manulife website or through your app store.

Manulife Mobile app.
Manage your policy with Manulife Mobile.

Manulife health insurance customer service

You can call the Manulife health insurance phone number at 1-800-COVER ME (1-800-268-3763). You will be able to speak to a customer services representative from Monday through Friday, between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm ET.

Manulife customer serviceContact
Phone
1-800-COVER ME (1-800-268-3763)
Monday through Friday, between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm
By email
Health and Dental: [email protected]
Mail
CoverMe
PO Box 670 STN Waterloo
Waterloo, ON
N2J 4B8
Canada
Manulife health contact information

Expert advice

When calling customer services make sure to have your policy number ready in order to speed up the process. This number can be found at the top of your policy.

Is there Manulife health insurance for retirees?

There are no plans specifically designed for retirees but existing Manulife plans do offer them coverage based on their age. Retirees often transition from employer-sponsored plans to individual health insurance coverage.

Some of these may require a medical questionnaire, at time of application, like the ComboPlus™ Enhanced Plan offers, to asses your health and pre-existing conditions if any. However, the ComboPlus™ Starter Plan does not require one.

Retirees can explore Manulife individual health insurance plans, which may include coverage for medical expenses, prescription drugs, paramedical services, vision care, and more. The plans may come with different levels of coverage and options for customisation based on the retiree's preferences and budget.

Is there Manulife health insurance for visitors to Canada?

Yes, this type of insurance is commonly known as Visitor to Canada travel insurance. It is designed to provide temporary coverage for visitors, immigrants, and international students during their stay in Canada.

The Visitor to Canada insurance typically covers emergency medical expenses, hospitalization, and some other benefits like emergency medical evacuation and repatriation. It is essential for visitors to have health insurance while in Canada, as the country's healthcare system can be expensive for those without coverage.

How to make a Manulife health insurance claim?

You can make a claim via the website on through the app. You will need to login into your personal space before you make a claim. In your personal space, you will be able to see your previous claims and keep track of how they are progressing.

Alternatively, if you prefer to have hard copies of your documentation, you can download the appropriate Manulife claim form below, fill it out and mail it to one of the following addresses.

Manulife health insurance claim form:

Manulife Dental Claim Form :

Health Care Claims postal address:

Manulife Individual Insurance Health Claims
P.O. Box 670, Stn Waterloo
Waterloo, ON N2J 4B8

Dental Claims postal address:

Manulife Individual Insurance - Dental Claims
P.O. Box 670, Stn Waterloo
Waterloo, ON N2J 4B8

How to cancel health insurance Manulife?

If you want to end your policy then you can speak to a representative directly by calling Manulife customer services at 1-800-268-3763 to inquire about cancelling your plan.

Watch out!

Before cancelling your plan you should note that there is a 24-month waiting period to get new coverage again with Manulife.

If you prefer to keep hard copies of your documentation then you can download the form below. So fill it out with your details and your reason for cancelling and mail it to the appropriate address.

Then mail the completed form to:

All provinces (other than Québec)
500 King Street North
PO BOX 1669
WATERLOO ON N2J 4Z6
Fax: 1-877-763-8834

Québec
2000, rue Mansfield
bureau 1310
MONTREAL QC H3A 3A1
Fax: 1-877-271-5494

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Alexandre Desoutter
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Alexandre Desoutter has been working as editor-in-chief and head of press relations at HelloSafe since June 2020. A graduate of Sciences Po Grenoble, he worked as a journalist for several years in French media, and continues to collaborate as a as a contributor to several publications.

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1 comments
Mathew
on

after applying for health and dental insurance, how soon can i be covered?

author-profile-picture Alexandre Desoutter Our expert

Hi Mathew,
It depends on the insurance company you choose - they all have different rules.
The ManuLife Health plan for instance, doesn't require any waiting period. You are covered as soon as you apply.

Hava a nice day,
The HelloSafe team