Canada's largest mutual insurer has used Action Anxiety Day to highlight a partnership with the CHUM Foundation that has brought an animal-assisted therapy program to one of Montreal's major hospital centers, as part of a broader commitment that has seen Beneva invest more than $5.6 million in anxiety prevention since 2022.
The program benefits patients in palliative care, addiction medicine and psychiatry units at the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, where therapy animals help patients express emotions, manage anxiety and engage more openly with caregivers.
"Since 2022, we have committed to investing more than $5.6 million in anxiety prevention, our primary philanthropic focus," said Martin Robert, EVP and leader of talent, culture and communication at Beneva. "We will continue along this path by strengthening our initiatives, mobilizing our partners, and keeping psychological health at the heart of our actions."
Beneva's philanthropic focus on anxiety sits on top of a significant and growing commercial problem. Mental health claims now make up 35% or more of total group insurance claims in Canada, while the costs of those claims account for 79% of total costs.
The claims trajectory in Beneva's own data underlined the urgency. From 2017 to 2025, the number of young insured persons consulting a mental health professional doubled, growing at an average annual rate of 9%, while antidepressant usage in that group grew 2.5 times faster than in other age groups.
Meanwhile, disability claims are consistently one of the two largest cost drivers in group insurance alongside drug claims, and timely intervention within the first months of a claim is critical.
The broader workforce picture reinforces the case for action. A 2025 report found that 59% of Canadian workers feel somewhat or extremely burnt out, with nearly a third saying their mental health is directly affecting their productivity.
A 2025 survey found that 21% of Canadians reported delaying mental health care specifically because of cost, with one in three of those who delay care going on to be diagnosed with a related condition. That access gap points to a structural problem that insurers are well placed to address -- the people most likely to generate future claims are the same people least likely to seek care before their condition becomes chronic and costly.
Beneva's $5.6 million has supported research projects and the development of more than 100 anxiety management tools, including a collaboration with the Université de Montréal on an AI-guided digital exposure therapy research project.
Earlier funding also doubled the available service hours for patients and families in the CHUM palliative care pet therapy program. Beneva's view is that sustainability in group insurance will not come from offering less, but from treating mental health as foundational rather than supplementary.
The initiative also reflects the growing footprint of an insurer that has been consolidating rapidly.
Beneva completed its merger with Gore Mutual effective Jan. 1, 2026, following all required legislative and regulatory approvals, including from the Competition Bureau and through private bills adopted by the Senate of Canada and the Quebec National Assembly.
The combined operations carry approximately $8 billion in total premiums and $27 billion in assets, making Beneva the seventh-largest insurer in Canada by total premium and the tenth-largest property and casualty insurer nationally.
