What makes us different?
Other companies might say they're different. We really are.
The story of how we became Canada's only national not-for-profit health and dental benefits specialist starts in the 1950s. At that time, our founder Bill Wilkinson was a pharmacist with nine years behind the counter. A revolution in health care was underway. Breakthroughs in pharmaceutical medications were helping treat conditions that previously required surgery. Unfortunately, these new medications were as expensive as they were amazing. And many Canadians couldn't afford them – a fact Bill witnessed firsthand, repeatedly.
A better way
One day at the pharmacy, Bill watched as a mother was forced to choose between buying medicine for herself or her child. Naturally, she chose to forgo her own medication. In Bill's words, "To see a mother go without the medicine she herself needed in order to buy a prescription for her sick child is a moving experience. There had to be a better way…" 1
Compassion pays
These moving experiences served as the catalyst that drove Bill to found Green Shield Canada. Joining four other pharmacists, they pooled their own resources and created the country's first pre-paid health plan. They found the better way. To this day, the same spirit of compassion infuses everything we do at GreenShield. Enhancing the common good is in our DNA.
The GreenShield mission is deeply rooted in contributing to society, charitable giving and improving access to better health for all Canadians. We do that by investing in the communities where we work and live, specifically in the provision of front line health care services and navigating the health care system. When you become a GreenShield customer, you'll not only get the confidence that comes from knowing you have a comprehensive health insurance plan that will help protect against routine and unforeseen health care expenses. You’ll also get something else you can feel good about – the knowledge that you’re part of something bigger.
Service that makes you smile.
Want to chat? We're obsessed with great customer service. And we have a personality too! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to give us a call.
1 Making A Difference, The Memoirs of William Arthur Wilkinson, written in collaboration with Geoff Nightingale, copyright by the author, 1995. Published in Windsor by Herald Press Limited.