Website: mb.bluecross.ca
Head office address (Canada): 599 Empress St., Winnipeg, MB, R3C 2X7
Year established: 1974
Ownership structure: independent, Canadian-owned, non-profit
Target market/client profile: Manitoba employers, retirees, individuals, and families seeking health, dental, life, disability, wellness, EAP, and travel coverage
Number of professional staff: over 330
Canadian office locations: Winnipeg (head office), Thompson
Manitoba Blue Cross is a non-profit health benefits provider headquartered in Winnipeg. The organization offers group and personal benefit plans to more than half a million Manitobans. Its subsidiary Blue Cross Life underwrites the life and disability products within its plan lineup.
MBC's history dates back to the Manitoba Hospital Services Association, created in 1938. A group of Manitoba hospitals set up the non-profit plan under an act of the legislature.
Workers throughout the province paid $1 per month for prepaid hospital coverage. The model drew from a similar system in Minnesota.
The Winnipeg firefighters' union asked for medical insurance in 1939. That effort grew into the Manitoba Medical Service by 1944 and served large employer groups.
The organization adopted the Blue Cross name and trademark in 1974. It incorporated as the United Health Services Corporation and joined the Canadian Association of Blue Cross Plans (CABCP).
The provider added dental, disability, life, and travel coverage after gaining the Blue Cross name. It also set up Blue Cross Life Insurance Company of Canada as its subsidiary for life and disability products.
Manitoba Blue Cross committed $3 million as a naming-rights partner of the STARS air ambulance base in Winnipeg. MBC added virtual care in 2020 and launched its digital wellness platform in 2023.
The organization partnered with Sleep in Heavenly Peace in 2024 and built 50 beds for children across the province. It opened a second service centre in Thompson in September 2025.
MBC offers group, personal, and travel benefit plans throughout Manitoba:
MBC follows Manitoba's Pharmacare formulary for its drug plans to match provincial pricing standards. The organization works with brokers and advisors in the province to distribute its group and personal plans.
Benjamin Graham is president and CEO of Manitoba Blue Cross. He previously led Manitoba Public Insurance as its president and CEO. Graham held risk management roles in Asia-Pacific earlier in his career.
Graham leads Manitoba Blue Cross' executive team:
A board of directors governs Manitoba Blue Cross. The board includes these members as of 2026:
The board oversees strategy and operations for the organization. Manitoba Blue Cross also shares annual community engagement highlights for public review.
Manitoba Blue Cross' plan members include employer groups, families, individuals, and retirees across Manitoba. The provider's wellness and counselling services also reach the general public beyond plan members.
MBC's group plans serve employers with as few as three staff. The provider also covers retirees and individuals without employer benefits. The provider's digital wellness resources are free and open to all Manitobans. Its Blue Advantage gives all members discounts on health products in Canada.
Plan sponsors and brokers can find Manitoba Blue Cross' full listing in our Benefits and Pensions Monitor group benefits directory. The page features other benefit providers from across Canada with contact and premium details.
Manitoba Blue Cross has earned workplace and community awards at the provincial level. The organization also holds memberships with benefit plan associations in Canada and internationally.
Manitoba Blue Cross also states it is the primary supporter of the Manitoba Medical Service Foundation (MMSF). The MMSF has awarded more than $24 million to Manitoba-based research and education since 1971.
How group insurance sales director helps people and businesses succeed
