| Canassurance Hospital Service Association | |
| Trade Name: | Blue Cross Canassurance |
| Type: | Nonprofit corporation |
| Industry: | Health insurance |
| Founded: | 1942 |
| Hq Location City: | Montreal, Québec |
| Products: | Health and dental insurance Travel Insurance Life and Disability Insurance |
| Brands: | Ontario Blue Cross Québec Blue Cross |
| Homepage: | |
The Canassurance Hospital Service Association, also called Blue Cross Canassurance, is a not-for-profit health insurance provider in Canada.[1] It is a member of the Canadian Association of Blue Cross Plans, operating in Ontario under the brand Ontario Blue Cross and in Quebec as Québec Blue Cross (French: Croix Bleue du Québec).[2] [3]
It also provides travel assistance through its subsidiary CanAssistance Inc.[4]
The Canassurance Hospital Service Association was founded in 1942 under the name Quebec Hospital Service Association by a group of hospital directors and business people. The goal of the association was to provide workers with access to health services at a reasonable cost through an advanced reimbursement plan. Later, with the implementation of a public health system (1957) and the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec (1969), Blue Cross changed its plans to complement the healthcare public system.[5]
By 1970, the Quebec Hospital Service Association had more than 1 million members throughout the province. At that time, private insurance plans were used as an argument by the Quebec administration to counterweight the Canadian government's pressure for a unique national healthcare program. For the Premier of Quebec, Maurice Duplessis, healthcare represented a provincial area of expertise. The following administrations have maintained the position that national standards would not necessarily meet local needs.[6]
The Quebec Hospital Service Association changed its name in 1999 to Canassurance Hospital Service Association[7] (Blue Cross Canassurance) and provides services in Ontario and Quebec.[8]
Being a not-for-profit health insurance provider, Blue Cross Canassurance reinvests in research and development as well as into the community by supporting a variety of causes linked to health and wellness.[9]