Great-West Life Group Benefits Insurance Reviews

I clicked on Life Insurance...because there isn't a drop-down option for Health & Dental. I had coverage with GWL with my previous employer. I accepted a buyout package and was eligible to enroll with GWL under the similar plan. I really had no issues with GWL when I was with group plan under the employer. However, when I signed up with GWL last week....it has been a "gong show" ever since. After signing up and being accepted...I was emailed copious documents and my policy # on August 30 - with noted commencement date for benefits starting September 1. There was no indication with paperwork when I would receive our drug cards. As I wanted to fill a prescription at Shoppers Drug Mart, I called GWL to find out if they could give me my client ID...and other info that Shoppers had requested. Well - GWL had no record of my policy # - it doesn't exist! Oh, for frig sake!! So, after several phone transfers to different departments passing the hot potato...approximately 45 minutes - still not resolved. I became apoplectic on the phone. How ironic that I had interviews for an executive assistant position with top big wigs at the London, Ontario office....and they spoke so eloquently on how customer service is "paramount" to their business...huh!

My school uses them and god are they awful. I had an eye exam and was told they would cover the cost of my frames, but that I had to pay upfront and they would reimburse me. I waited a month with no mention of this from them at all. I created an account on their painfully slow and worthless website only to find all the reimbursements were pending, due to a lack of a known address. They never even attempted to contact me for this information. The website was god awful so as I spent ages trying to navigate properly to set this information and at the same time, called them in case it failed to do so.

After a long while, I had finally submitted my address to them, both online and through on-phone support. I was told I would get my reimbursement in a couple weeks. A couple weeks later, a letter from them showed up at my place asking me for my address... Imagine my disbelief when they sent the letter to my address, asking for my address.

These guys are just around to steal your money unless you waste your time trying to keep them honest.

I have this insurance company with my employer and good grief does it ever suck. I had Greenshield with my last employer. For the last few years, Greenshield billed the pharmacy directly without making the employer pay extra. If having to submit your receipts for drugs is not annoying enough, you have to do it by mail. What a craptacular company. Their website works, apart from GroupNet. Every time you go to their website, you get the following message. I have been trying since Friday night and still see the same message. Need I say more. Site Temporarily Unavailable. We are sorry this site is only available. We are working to restore service as quickly as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience. Return to Great-West Life website: Click here to return to the Great-West home page. This is the worst insurance company in all of Canada! I cannot believe I have to send prescription receipts again through Canada Post to get reimbursed (80%). They mail you the cheque and explanation entirely in French on top of that, no English anywhere. If you don't parler Francais, you will not understand most of it. The form I submitted was in English as were the receipts for meds prescribed by a doctor in Ontario. I have no idea what the letter says and short sentences in Eng are long in Fr. I would have to type it in Google translate, as they do not use email. I know this is a bilingual country, but do they seriously expect everyone to know French. Moreover, they don't even cover the prescription strength (a strength not available OTC), generic allergy medication, the same one Greenshield covered. Maybe that is why their explanation of my benefits for the receipts was in French? So unimpressed.

I am a completely healthy young woman - yet somehow it took them over 8 months to approve my benefits application. They lost my application several times, then sent me in the wrong direction several more. Absolutely horrendous customer service. Once I finally did get approved, they sent all my information and my drug and travel assistance card- but when I called to set up my online GroupNet, they said they have no record of me having benefits through them.
Thoroughly disappointed!

I have health insurance through work (AHS), applied for short-term disability and got denied. Have all the documentation from physician and specialist but yet I was denied. Why are we even paying premiums? Those adjusters don't even have medical backgrounds yet they decide how an insurance is judged!

Unfortunately, my husband has a group plan with this company. They provide the worst customer services, the hotline often gets disconnected. They refused claims even though we provided all the documentation they requested. I'm just hoping their company will choose another insurance company with better credibility, I can’t wait for this nightmare to end soon.

I have GWL health and dental coverage through my workplace. My husband has a different insurance company. Previously with coordination of benefits, we wouldn't pay much more than about $50 for any dental claims because GWL would cover whatever my husband didn't quite cover. Ever since the new 2018 dental fee guide has come out, they no longer cover anything more than the fee *guide* outlines. This guide is woefully lower than reasonable dental costs. Now GWL has left us paying upwards of 1/3 of dental costs. This is ridiculous. When I call to ask why their policy has changed, they just say it's because of the fee guide and plead ignorance. What a horrible company. If I could switch, I would.

I recently was really sick on a trip to Cuba, I am from Canada. My workplace has "travel assistance" coverage through Great West Life. I read through their benefit booklet before I left and felt assured that they would have the resources to help in an emergency. This is a quote from our benefits booklet. "This program provides medical assistance through a worldwide communications network that operates 24Hours a day. The Network Locates medical services and obtains Great West Life's approval of covered services, when required as a result of a medical emergency" They talk a good game, sounds pretty sophisticated, and sounds like they have resources to help. Unfortunately, I was violently ill in Cuba. We are all given an emergency travel assistance card, so I tried calling the number on the card. It didn't work. And they had a special number just for when you are in Cuba. There was also some fine print that mentioned you may need to dial "00" instead of 1 if you are in another country. I tried this, this also didn't work. So then I tried dialling "00" plus "1". And it worked! I got through. Now I will certainly get some help....not so. They had absolutely no medical assistance for me at all. I had to go and find my own...in Cuba....while violently ill. The customer service rep was like a cold robot. They didn't seem interested at all in providing help. I'm asking for help and all the guy wants is my address, my phone number and postal code. Another thing is, you need to call the number they give you first or they may not pay your claim. They then give improper instructions for dialling outside the country. So your claim can be denied. Highly unethical company, to the point of straight-up fraudulent in my opinion. We need stronger laws in Canada for this type of behaviour.

I'm under company insurance, the insurance covers for orthotics appliances. I went to the doctor to check and buy the orthotics appliances but when I claimed on the insurance policy, they've replied the doctor is not covered by the plan. And also they refuse to pay back for orthotics appliances. This company is a fraud just trying to steal money from people. Please look for a different insurance company to save yourself.

This company makes filing a claim intentionally difficult, often stalling claims indefinitely without requesting further information, just so they don't have to pay out. I was switched to GWL by my employer and I've been shocked by how terrible this company is in comparison to my previous insurance provider. Keeping claims difficult and frustrating appears to be this company's cost-saving strategy.