The Empire Life Insurance Company has expanded its group benefits offering with a caregiver support program delivered through Teladoc Health Canada's Mental Health Navigator service.
Effective March 1, the Teladoc Health Caregiver Program is being integrated into existing extended health benefit plans at no additional cost to plan sponsors or members. The program is designed to support plan members who are caring for another individual and to reduce both the mental strain and administrative workload of navigating Canada’s health and social care systems.
In 2022, 13.4 million Canadians aged 15 and older, or 42% of the population, provided unpaid care to children or adults with a long-term condition or disability. Of these, about 1.8 million were “sandwiched” between caring for both children and care‑dependent adults. The National Seniors Council has estimated the annual value of unpaid care at tens of billions of dollars and warned that caregiver distress is common.
“When employees feel supported, they bring their best selves to work,” said Mark Sylvia, president and CEO of Empire Life. “By providing the peace of mind that comes with professional caregiving support, we help employees stay present, focused, and well at work.”
The new caregiver program builds on Empire Life’s existing relationship with Teladoc Health Canada. The insurer already offers Teladoc’s Mental Health Navigator to group plan members, providing access to Canadian‑licensed psychologists or psychiatrists for assessment and a clinical action plan, followed by ongoing support from nurses, social workers, or occupational therapists.
The caregiver enhancement connects plan members with a dedicated team of specialized nurses and social workers who can help them screen for mental health and burnout risk, develop personalized caregiving plans, identify community‑based resources for both the caregiver and the care recipient, and navigate day‑to‑day logistics, including financial and legal questions related to care. The program also includes proactive follow‑ups at one, three, and six months.
Teladoc has been broadening its Canadian offering to employers, recently adding an employee and family assistance program with counseling and dependent‑care navigation, reflecting wider demand for integrated virtual support rather than standalone telemedicine.
For insurers and benefits consultants, caregiver support is increasingly being treated as a workforce risk issue rather than a peripheral wellness benefit. Research from Statistics Canada and the federal government’s national caregiving dialogue has found that unpaid caregivers provide the majority of care delivered at home, and that many reported fatigue, anxiety, and difficulty continuing in their role. Those pressures can translate into absenteeism, presenteeism, and higher turnover for employers.
Global surveys also indicated that “sandwich generation” employees, who are balancing work with care for both children and aging relatives, show elevated rates of depression and anxiety symptoms and reported significant productivity impacts.
Empire Life’s move follows a broader Canadian market shift toward virtual care, mental health navigation, and digital self‑help tools within group benefits. The insurer added Teladoc’s myStrength platform – a digital mental health and coaching tool – to its group portfolio in late 2025, citing plan member demand for more accessible mental health support, particularly among younger workers. Other carriers and health providers have expanded comparable offerings that emphasize 24/7 access and care navigation.
Empire Life, founded in 1923 and a subsidiary of E‑L Financial Corporation, reported assets under management of $20.8 billion as of December 31, 2025. The insurer has been positioning its group benefits line around “intelligent” or higher‑touch service models, combining traditional coverage with virtual health, mental health, and navigation services.
Embedding caregiver navigation at no additional cost may appeal to plan sponsors looking to address mental health and productivity risks without increasing premiums. It also sets a reference point for competitors as policymakers move toward a national caregiving strategy and employers face growing expectations that benefits plans will address the needs of caregivers as well as employees managing their own health conditions.
