Alberta Blue Cross vs Canada Life: Compare Health Insurance Plans
Alberta Blue Cross is a regional specialist: its Blue Assured, Blue Choice and Retiree plans are sold only in Alberta and the Northwest Territories, and every one of its twelve plans bundles emergency travel coverage with a five million dollar lifetime maximum. Canada Life takes the opposite approach. Its Freedom to Choose lineup is available in twelve provinces and territories and is built around flexibility at the top end, including a Select Elite option with prescription drug coverage up to 250,000 dollars per person per year.
Choose Alberta Blue Cross if you live in Alberta or the Northwest Territories and want built-in travel protection, dental on every guaranteed acceptance tier above Basic, and a dedicated Retiree series for people leaving group benefits after 50. Choose Canada Life if you need coverage outside Alberta, want catastrophic-level drug protection, or want a guaranteed issue plan with no age restriction after leaving an employer plan.
At a glance
| Feature | Alberta Blue Cross | Canada Life |
|---|---|---|
| Provinces available | Alberta and Northwest Territories | 12 provinces and territories (not offered in Quebec) |
| Plan options | 12 plans across 3 plan families | 8 plans across 2 plan families |
| Underwriting options | Guaranteed acceptance, Medically underwritten, Guaranteed issue | Guaranteed acceptance, Medically underwritten, Guaranteed issue |
| Plan tiers | Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum | Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum |
Benefit-by-benefit comparison
The summaries below come from the published plan documents for each carrier. Exact limits vary by tier, so treat these as the range you can expect across each lineup, then check the tier you would actually buy on our plans directory.
Drugs
- Alberta Blue CrossListed in 12 of 12 plans
- Reimburses 70 to 90 percent with pay-direct billing at the pharmacy. Annual maximums run from 250 dollars on Blue Assured Basic up to 5,000 dollars on Blue Assured Premium, while medically underwritten Blue Choice plans allow 10,000 dollars per year, reducing to 2,000 dollars once a member turns 65. Diabetic supplies, contraceptives, smoking cessation products and vaccines are included.
- Canada LifeListed in 8 of 8 plans
- Select plans start at 70 percent reimbursement with a 500 dollar annual maximum and scale to Select Elite, which pays 90 percent of the first 10,000 dollars and 100 percent of the next 240,000 dollars, a 250,000 dollar per person ceiling. Guaranteed plans pay 80 to 90 percent up to 1,000 to 2,400 dollars but exclude erectile dysfunction drugs and smoking cessation products.
Routine Dental
- Alberta Blue CrossListed in 11 of 12 plans
- Checkups, cleanings, fillings, extractions and root canals are covered at 70 to 90 percent depending on tier, after a three month waiting period. First year combined maximums are 600 to 750 dollars, rising to 1,250 to 2,000 dollars in later years. Retiree plans skip the waiting period and allow up to 5,000 dollars in combined annual dental on the Premium tier.
- Canada LifeListed in 7 of 8 plans
- The entry Guaranteed plan covers dental accidents only, with no routine dental at all. Guaranteed Plus adds routine care at 80 percent up to 1,000 dollars and Guaranteed Elite pays 85 percent up to 2,000 dollars. Select plans carry a 25 dollar per person deductible and cover routine services at 70 to 80 percent, with maximums between 350 and 1,000 dollars.
Major Dental
- Alberta Blue Cross
- Crowns, bridges and implants are covered at 50 to 60 percent on Enhanced and higher tiers after a two year waiting period, and dentures and periodontics at 50 to 90 percent after one year. Orthodontics appears on Enhanced+ and Premium tiers at 50 percent with a 2,000 to 2,500 dollar lifetime maximum, which is unusual for individual plans.
- Canada Life
- Major restorative work is limited. Guaranteed Elite covers major dental at 50 percent up to 1,000 dollars per year and Select Elite with dental pays 50 percent up to 750 dollars. The base Guaranteed plan and Guaranteed Plus exclude major dental entirely, and no Canada Life plan in this lineup lists orthodontic coverage.
Vision
- Alberta Blue CrossListed in 11 of 12 plans
- Vision allowances, including eye exams, range from 100 dollars per two years on Blue Assured Basic to 500 dollars on Blue Assured Premium, and Retiree Premium members get 600 dollars. Only Blue Choice Basic omits vision.
- Canada LifeListed in 8 of 8 plans
- Every plan covers vision. Select plans reimburse 100 percent up to 150 to 250 dollars every two years for glasses, contacts or laser eye surgery, plus 75 dollars for an eye exam. Guaranteed Plus and Elite pay up to 200 to 275 dollars on the same two year cycle.
Travel
- Alberta Blue CrossListed in 12 of 12 plans
- Emergency travel medical is built into all twelve plans with a five million dollar lifetime maximum and 100 percent reimbursement. Standard plans cover the first 10 to 30 days of a trip until age 65, while Retiree plans extend from 30 up to 120 days and remain available until age 85.
- Canada LifeListed in 0 of 8 plans
- No built-in emergency travel medical benefit is listed in the Freedom to Choose plan documents we publish. Travellers comparing these two carriers should budget for standalone travel insurance if they choose Canada Life.
Paramedical
- Alberta Blue CrossListed in 11 of 12 plans
- Coverage is per practitioner with per visit caps, for example 35 to 75 dollars per chiropractic visit and 50 dollars per physiotherapy or massage visit, with combined annual maximums of 350 to 650 dollars. Basic tiers focus on psychology, including iCBT, at 75 dollars per visit.
- Canada LifeListed in 8 of 8 plans
- Select plans reimburse 100 percent of paramedical services up to a combined 300 to 500 dollars per year across a wide practitioner list that includes chiropractors, physiotherapists, psychologists, social workers, speech therapists, naturopaths and acupuncturists.
Underwriting: how you qualify
Both carriers cover all three routes into coverage, but the details differ in ways that matter if you have pre-existing conditions. Alberta Blue Cross offers Blue Assured with guaranteed acceptance at any age and no medical questions, Blue Choice with medical underwriting up to age 64, and a Retiree series that waives medical questions if you apply within 60 days of group benefits ending and are 50 or older. Canada Life mirrors this with a guaranteed acceptance version of Select that anyone can buy, medically underwritten Select tiers, and Freedom to Choose Guaranteed plans that accept you without medical questions within 60 days of leaving a group plan, with no minimum age. If you are under 50 and just left an employer plan, Canada Life is the only one of the two that will guarantee-issue you a plan.
New to these terms? See our plain-language guides to underwriting, pre-existing conditions, waiting periods and how your premium is set.
See real prices for your situation
Premiums for both carriers depend on your age, province and who is on the policy, so the fastest way to compare costs is a personalized quote. You can also estimate your out-of-pocket dental costs with our dental services calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy Alberta Blue Cross if I live outside Alberta?
No. Alberta Blue Cross individual health plans are available only to residents of Alberta and the Northwest Territories. Canada Life sells Freedom to Choose plans in twelve provinces and territories, so if you live in Ontario, British Columbia or the Atlantic provinces, Canada Life is the carrier of the two you can actually purchase.
Which carrier is better for expensive prescription medications?
Canada Life, by a wide margin at the top end. Its Select Elite plan covers up to 250,000 dollars of prescription drugs per person per year, paying 90 percent of the first 10,000 dollars and 100 percent after that. Alberta Blue Cross caps drug coverage at 10,000 dollars per year on Blue Choice plans and 5,000 dollars on Blue Assured Premium.
Does either carrier include travel insurance in its health plans?
Alberta Blue Cross does. All of its plans bundle emergency travel medical with a five million dollar lifetime maximum, covering trips of 10 to 30 days on standard plans and up to 120 days on Retiree Premium. Canada Life Freedom to Choose plans do not list a built-in travel benefit, so you would purchase travel coverage separately.
I just left my employer plan. Which guaranteed issue option applies to me?
Both carriers give you a 60 day window after group benefits end to enrol without medical questions. The difference is eligibility: Alberta Blue Cross Retiree plans require you to be 50 or older, while Canada Life Freedom to Choose Guaranteed has no age floor. A 35 year old leaving a job could be guaranteed issue with Canada Life but not with the Alberta Blue Cross Retiree series.
Do the guaranteed acceptance plans from these two carriers include dental?
Mostly yes, with different shapes. Alberta Blue Cross Blue Assured tiers above Basic include a full dental ladder, from cleanings and fillings up to crowns, dentures and even orthodontics at 50 percent on the top tiers. Canada Life Select Guaranteed Acceptance covers routine dental at 70 percent up to 350 dollars per person, with no major dental.