About GMS

The GMS Story: Making Waves

It started in 1930s rural Saskatchewan. Getting sick or injured could mean financial ruin. Something as simple as a broken arm could force a family to sell an acre of farmland to pay the medical bill. To these hard-working folks, this was unacceptable. Something had to be done. Something had to change.

Refusing to sit back and accept the status quo, a small group of people started making waves with a new idea. In true Saskatchewan spirit, they brought the community together by having each person agree to pay a set amount each month to cover each other’s medical bills. It was risky and had never been done before, but the idea worked. And it grew.

In 1940, a non-profit called the Regina Mutual Medical Benefit Association (RMMBA) was formed. Nine years later, they merged with Medical Services Incorporated (Regina), a plan sponsored by doctors, to form who we are today – Group Medical Services or GMS as we’re known now.

Community is still at the centre of everything we do. We’re still a Regina-based non-profit organization that’s helping people pay their medical bills through our health, dental and travel insurance. Our profits are donated to help improve the health of the community and used to make improvements to our products and services. Through the support of our customers, we’ve been able to give back millions to health-focused community initiatives.

Like those early visionaries, we’re set to make waves again. We’re daring to make health insurance easy to buy, easy to use, and easy to understand. We don’t want you to have any surprises or headaches when making a claim – life’s stressful enough already.  Flexible products with the right coverage for you. Easy-to-use online tools. The friendliest customer service representatives just a phone call away. An easy, pain-free insurance experience that makes you say “wow!” We want to push the boundaries and do things differently in insurance. We’re brave, we’re bold, and we’re continuously working to make insurance as simple as possible.

At GMS, we’re looking to do things differently and we’re excited for you to experience what’s to come.  

Our Mission

Empower Canadians to make positive healthy decisions through our wellness network, responsive products and personalized experiences.

Our Vision

Communities and individuals connected by a desire to continuously improve health and wellness.

Our Values

• Caring: We care about our customers. We take the time to listen and understand what matters most.
• Innovative: We’re innovative in smart ways. GMS employs a customer- responsive team that balances personal touch and advanced industry technology. 
• Easy: We’re easy to deal with. Simple. Upfront with our customers. 
• Positive: We’re positive. We look at problems as opportunities. Because we’re positive, we believe in and help our customers achieve their dreams of living well.  
• Real:  We’re real. Down to earth, approachable and friendly. 
• Fair: We’re fair with our approach in everything we do.

Throughout our 70-year history, GMS has made it a priority to give back.  We’re in the business of helping people live well, so you might say it’s in our DNA to support health care and promote living well in the communities where we live and work.

Recent donations

Since 2014, we’ve contributed to the following programs and organizations through dedicated volunteer hours and financial donations.

• Matching $1 million donation for Trauma Care – in 2017, we committed to match up to $1 million in donations to the Hospitals of Regina Foundation for the GMS Trauma Care Fund. Our commitment has helped generate a further $2 million in donations to provide more than $3 million to upgrade critical equipment for trauma care teams in Regina hospitals.
• $500,000 for Cardiac Care – in 2014, our donation to the HRF introduced a state-of-the-art digital electrocardiogram testing, file management and storage system at the GMS Cardiac Rhythm Device Clinic at Regina’s General Hospital, and allowed for facility improvements to enhance patient comfort.
• Presenting sponsor of the HRF Four Seasons Gala in support of Pediatric Services – since 2017, we have been proud presenting sponsor of this major fundraising event to support pediatric services in Regina hospitals.
• Proud STARS ally – our involvement started with purchasing fuel for a life-saving STARS flight in 2016. Since 2017, we’ve been honoured to be presenting sponsor of the annual Night with STARS Gala fundraising event, and have members of our executive leadership team participating in the annual STARS Rescue on the Prairie fundraising competitions in both 2017 and 2018.
• The Alzheimer’s Society and Diabetes Canada are just two of the organizations we have also assisted in recent years in their work to provide awareness, support and education to patients as they work to find cures and prevent these diseases.

Promoting wellness

We’ve been title sponsor of the GMS Queen City Marathon since 2017.  This wellness-focused annual event promotes ‘a race for every pace’, engaging the Regina community and visitors from across North America with three days of races for all ages and abilities. We also support and encourage our staff to get involved in the GMS QCM.  In 2018, more than one-third of staff walked or ran in at least one event and even more staff and family members volunteered, so that well over 60 ‘GMSers’ actively helped make the GMS QCM a success.

Employee volunteerism

GMS employees embrace volunteer opportunities to give back as part of our corporate charitable giving, including volunteering for the Night with STARS Gala and the HRF Four Seasons Ball.  They also eagerly volunteer for fundraising activities that provide an opportunity to be active and have fun, including the Heart and Stroke Big Bike and the YMCA’s Endless Cycle, which helps vulnerable children in the community access YMCA programs and services.

Our employees also make use of the opportunity to give back provided through our Employee Volunteer Policy. Staff can use one paid work day annually to take part in blood donor clinics, volunteer with organizations from the Food Bank to Diabetes Canada, along with other health and wellness-related charities of their choice.