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Health and dental care in Canada can be expensive if you do not have insurance. For this reason, each province has a mandatory basic health care plan (Medical Services Plan) as well as a variety of private extended health and dental plans which cover many medical costs.
Medical Services Plan (MSP)
The BC Medical Services Plan (MSP) is mandatory public health insurance for all BC residents. If you are new to BC, you should apply for MSP immediately upon arrival as there is a waiting period of approximately 3 months before coverage begins. During that waiting period, it is important to maintain alternative temporary coverage. SFU International offers temporary coverage; you may contact SFU International at 778.782.4232, visit their office MBC 1200, Monday to Friday 9:00 am to 4:30 pm, or find more information at their website students.sfu.ca/international
If you need to apply for MSP yourself, you must fill out an Application for Enrollment, available here at the BC Ministry of Health Services' website. If your current employer offers MSP coverage, you should apply through your company. Once registered for MSP, you will be sent a healthcare card (CareCard) which you present at the time of your medical appointments. Besides visits to a general physician, MSP also covers hospital care at ward level, hospital expenses such as laboratory examinations, operating rooms, drugs administered while hospitalized, and medically required surgical procedures.
For more information about MSP, please visit their website www.health.gov.bc.ca/msp/
Billing
If you are a sessional instructor, teaching assistant or tutor marker, SFU will pay for your MSP premiums. For details on how to apply, please see the TSSU Benefits FAQ page. If you are an employee of SFU in any of those positions, you will receive your MSP bills monthly prior to the coverage month. There are various ways to pay your MSP premiums, including pre-authorized debit payments, by telephone or internet banking, by credit card online, by mail, or in-person at government agencies; for complete information on payment methods, please visit the Medical Services Plan Billing page for BC MSP.
Fair PharmaCare
The Fair PharmaCare plan is designed to help BC Residents with the cost of eligible prescription drugs and designated medical supplies. There is no cost to register for Fair PharmaCare, and unlike MSP, no premiums to pay. Under Fair PharmaCare, you pay your family's full prescription costs until you reach a level known as your deductible (the amount of money your family needs to spend each year before you qualify for PharmaCare assistance); once you reach your deductible, PharmaCare helps you with eligible costs for the rest of the year.
You are eligible for Fair PharmaCare if you:
1. Have valid BC MSP coverage; and
2. Have filed an income tax return for the relevant taxation year (that is, two years ago).
If you meet these requirements, you can register online using the Fair PharmaCare Web Registration, or by phone (604-683-7151 or 1-800-663-7100).
You can also find more information about Fair PharmaCare at their website www.health.gov.bc.ca/pharmacare/
Graduate Benefit Plan
Contract Number: Q1113
Group Name: GSS Graduate Benefit Plan
Single Student
The Graduate Benefit Plan offers extended health and dental coverage, and is completely separate from BC MSP. The Plan is administered through studentcare; the insurer is Desjardins Financial Security. The Plan covers expenses such as vision care (cost of exam, glasses, or contacts), certain practitioners (chiropractors, massage therapists, and more), and prescription drugs. Complete information on the Plan and what it covers is available at studentcare's website www.ihaveaplan.ca
Any student enrolled in a graduate program at SFU in September or January will be automatically enrolled in the Plan, including off-campus, part-time, and international students. Students beginning their academic year in May will not be automatically covered, but have the option to enroll themselves for coverage until Aug. 31, 2012. You can verify whether you are being charged the fees by checking the Account Inquiry tuition breakdown of your finances in the goSFU Student Information System. The Plan operates on an annual basis; you will be assessed fees for a year of coverage at the start of the semester (September the current year to August the following year), and will only pay this once for that period of time.
Students may make changes to their Plan (i.e. adding on spouse/family, opting out, etc.) during the Change-of-Coverage Period at the beginning of a new policy year (typically the month of September). During this period, students should visit www.ihaveaplan.ca and use the online forms to make the desired changes.
Claims
Unlike BC MSP, the Benefit Plan does not provide a personalized health/dental card. You can download a Pay-Direct card to fill in with your name and student ID from here:
http://www.ihaveaplan.ca/rte/en/IHaveAPlan_SFUSimonFraserUniversitygraduatestudentsGSS_DownloadCentre_PayDirectCard
Coverage for medication, dentists, and some medical practitioners can be paid using the Pay-Direct Card. If your pharmacist/dentist/practitioner accepts this card, they will reduce your payment by the amount covered.
For other practitioners, you will need to pay up-front for your treatment, and then submit a claim form to the insurer to receive a cheque or a direct-deposit for the insured portion. As an added benefit, the Plan also offers further discounts through special Health-Care Networks. You are free to visit any practitioner you like, but visiting a Network member may save you more money on medical expenses. For a full list of networks, visit www.ihaveaplan.ca
Claims forms are available online at the Download Centre of the studentcare website, or you may drop by the GSS Help Desk (front office) to pick up some printed forms. You may mail your forms directly to the insurer or you can drop them off at the GSS and we will mail them for you. Please note that it may take the insurer 2-3 weeks to process your claim.
If you are new student just beginning your graduate studies, you may be subject to the Blackout Period which takes place during the first two months of the semester. During this period, the insurer will likely not have your information in their system since SFU needs to compile a final enrolment list. You are still covered for this period, but we recommend that you do not submit any claims until after the Blackout Period to avoid being rejected for reimbursement.
Regarding the 2011-2012 Policy year:
All health and dental claims must be received by our previous insurer, Sun Life, no later than November 30 2012 (90 days after the end of the policy year). After this date, all old claims will no longer be eligible for reimbursement.
Adding Couple or Family Coverage
Your Plan gives you the option to enrol your family (spouse and/or dependants) by completing an enrolment process and by paying an additional fee, over and above your individual fee as a Plan member. Common law and same-sex couples are eligible.
Students who are eligible to enrol themselves and who wish to cover their spouse and/or dependants have to pay the appropriate couple or family fee in addition to their own enrolment fee. All enrolments must be completed during the Change-of-Coverage Period.
Coverage is only for the current policy year. If you want to cover your dependants in subsequent policy years, you must renew your couple/family coverage during the Change-of-Coverage Period at the beginning of each policy year.
Opting Out
As a graduate student, you will be automatically enrolled into the Plan. If you’ve opted out before, and you still have other coverage, you will need to re-submit your opt out again, including documentation of other coverage. You may opt out of the Plan during the Change-of-Coverage Period by completing an online opt-out through the studentcare website, and receive a credit to your student account for the amount of the Plan. To opt out, you must provide proof of comparable coverage; this may be a photocopy of a certificate or card clearly indicating your coverage, or a letter from your plan sponsor confirming your coverage. Please note that MSP is NOT comparable coverage.
Other Extended Health Plans
On campus, the TSSU also offers an extended health and dental plan through Blue Cross. TSSU's plan is considered comparable coverage to the Benefit Plan, and can be used to opt-out of the Plan. Students can choose between the Plan or TSSU's, though some students keep both to receive more coverage. Coordinating benefits in this way may cover medical expenses in full.
You can find more information about TSSU on their website www.tssu.ca or sign up for TSSU benefits with Human Resources, located in the Strand Hall, Room 2170 (open weekdays between 2:00 and 4:00 pm). The SFU website on TSSU Benefits may also be useful: http://www.sfu.ca/human-resources/hr_services/pensions_benefits/benefits/tssu/index.html
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