Health by Design strategy: William’s story
About 500,000 Canadians are unable to work due to mental health problems or illnesses each week.1 This is costly – 70% of ALL disability costs are mental health related.2
Learn about William* – a 45-year-old father of two with major depression. This story shows how a Health by Design strategy by Manulife Group Benefits can help William improve his life and avoid disability, while reducing costs for his employer.



[Manulife logo appears on screen and music fades in.]
[The video then shifts to a man named William looking in the mirror. On screen disclaimer text fades in “William is a fictional character for illustrative purposes only. Treatment and coverage options may not apply for specific situations.”]
“Hi there, my name is William...”
[Then the scene shifts to a clip of William helping his son tie a tie.]
“... – I’m a proud provider for my family,”
[Then the video shifts to a clip of William writing on a board. On screen disclaimer text fades out.]
“...and a reliable employee at work.”
[Then the video cuts to a clip of William looking tired and upset with his hand on his head at a desk.]
“Last year, a diagnosis of major depression almost changed all of that.”
[The scene cross fades to a video of William with medication in his hands. The video darkens and blurs. A red line animates in with journey “pulse” points. A pulsing circle appears on the line and the line freezes moving. The pulse ripples three times and then fades away. A band-aid icon animates inside the pulsing circle, representing short-term therapy.]
“With a diagnosis like that – a lot of people can’t get the full support they need even with a typical benefits plan.”
[The red line continues growing downwards. Another pulsing circle animates in as the line growing freezes. A medication icon animates inside of this circle.]
“Also, I knew it could take several months of trying medications to find one that works well for me.”
[The red line continues growing downwards. Another pulsing circle animates in as the line plateaus. A hospital bed icon animates inside of this circle, representing short-term disability.]
“I was already going through the hardest time in my life – I didn’t want to end up on disability.”
[The video undarkens and unblurs to reveal a clip of William working with a coworker in an office.]
“I felt like I’d be letting down my family and friends at work.”
[The video cuts to a clip of William with his son, smiling and laughing, baking in the kitchen.]
“Luckily, my employer’s Group Benefits plan follows Manulife’s Health by Design strategy – they invested in getting me better as fast as possible.”
[The video cross fades to William looking at a tablet with someone else in a professional setting. The video blurs and darkens. A green line animates over top growing upwards. It stops 3 times with 3 different pulsing circles. A pill icon representing pharmacogenetics, a head icon representing cognitive behavioural therapy, and an apple icon representing a health coach.]
“With help from a simple genetic test – I was able to get a medication that worked for me, quickly. And I had enough coverage to get the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy I needed. Manulife also provided a health coach.”
[After the 3rd circle the green line continues growing. It then plateaus, and a pulsing circle animates on with a recovering icon inside represented by a person with a plus sign on their chest.]
“Within a number of months – I had a new lease on life, and my boss noticed a huge change at work.”
[The previous downwards red line fades back in. The number “$7,140” animates beside the upwards green line and the number “$11,240” animates beside the downwards red line. Another number, “$31,240” animates beside the downward red line with a long-term disability icon.]
“In all – it cost about $7,000 in claims. If I ended up on short-term disability, it would have cost over $11,000 in claims – over $30,000 for long-term disability.”
[The video undarkens and unblurs and reveals William dancing in his kitchen with his wife. On screen disclaimer text fades in “William is a fictional character for illustrative purposes only. Treatment and coverage options may not apply for specific situations.”]
“I’m glad my employer thought I was worth the Health by Design investment.”
[The Manulife title and logo sequence plays as the background music fades out, as the video fades to black. The text “The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company (Manulife). Manulife, Manulife & Stylized M Design, and Stylized M Design are trademarks of The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company and are used by it, and by its affiliates under license. Manulife, PO Box 2580, STN B Montreal QC H3B 5C6. © 2020 The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company. All rights reserved.” fades in. The screen holds for 3 seconds, and then fades to black.]
* William is a fictional character for illustrative purposes only. Treatment and coverage options may not apply for specific situations
1. Mental Health Commission of Canada, 2015
2. Mental Health Commission of Canada, 2012
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