In the more than 75 years we have been in business, Medavie Blue Cross has evolved and innovated in the face of considerable change.

The truest test of our resolve, however, came in 2020 when COVID-19 turned our lives upside down — and business was anything but usual.

The past year will long be remembered as one of the most challenging periods in our history. It has been a period of great strain and uncertainty for many Canadians, including our employees, clients, members, and the communities we serve.

Despite the challenges brought on by the global health and economic crises, we stayed true to our mission of improving the wellbeing of Canadians, putting people at the heart of all we do.

This was reflected in our top priorities for 2020: protecting the health and safety of our employees; ensuring they felt supported and informed; maintaining our high standards of service and meeting the needs of those we serve.

Delivering care where it’s needed

Even before the onset of COVID-19, our transformation was well underway to become an even more customer-centric, digital-first enterprise. When the pandemic reached Canadian shores, we recognized that we would need to accelerate this approach.

We focused on providing greater flexibility, offering more virtual care options and mental health supports, while providing premium relief for small- and medium-sized business (SMEs) to ease the burden of COVID-19.

Through Medavie, we made a $5 million commitment to support COVID-19 relief and recovery efforts, with a focus on mental health and food security. This marked the largest single community investment in our history, nearly doubling the annual contribution we make to community-based organizations through our foundation.

Of course, none of these achievements would be possible without the hard work and dedication of our employees who excel by living our core values of being Caring, Accountable, Responsive, Innovative and Community-minded.

Never was I prouder to be part of Medavie than I was in 2020; to see how our team, in collaboration with our partners, stepped up for Canadians, when they needed us most.

Setting goals for the future

We turned the calendar to 2021 with a renewed sense of purpose, drawing on the lessons we learned and building on the strides we made to chart a course of action for the coming year.

We will continue to strengthen our partnerships with patients and individuals, groups, governments and our communities to help us in addressing our new realities — and facing future uncertainties.

We will grow and diversify our offerings and enhance our operational and clinical excellence.

We will embed technology in every product roadmap and member experience to develop further digital platforms and self-service modules to make it easier to do business with us, increase member accessibility to expert care, and ultimately improve health outcomes.

Just as we have done for the past 75 years, we will forge ahead, committed as ever to providing you with best-in-class care and outstanding plan value.

Adaptability and flexibility were essential in 2020 and will remain important approaches that guide us as we navigate the pandemic and beyond.

And as always, we will be here for you — our partners, our employees, our members, our communities — putting your needs front and centre.

Important information about COVID-19 and your benefits