Saskatchewan Health Benefits for Students
Students who are permanent residents of the province of Saskatchewan are eligible to receive benefits under all of the Saskatchewan Health Insurance Plans. All permanent residents of Saskatchewan should be in possession of a current Saskatchewan Health Services card.
Students from other provinces or territories in Canada who are present in Saskatchewan for educational purposes are not eligible for benefits under the Saskatchewan Health Plans. Such students should maintain Health Care Insurance from their home province while attending university in Saskatchewan.
International students, who are admitted to Canada through a Canadian Immigration Student Authorization and who take up residence in Saskatchewan, will need to take steps to insure provincial health insurance coverage. To be covered, they must establish residence in Saskatchewan before the first day of the third month following their arrival in Canada. To establish residence, they must register with the Health Insurance Registration Office. Once this registration is complete, the benefit period of Health Insurance will normally be for a maximum of the period of their Student Authorization. The benefit period may be extended by presenting an authorization for a student extension from Canadian Immigration.
International students, who have previously resided in another Canadian province and who move to Saskatchewan, are not covered by the Saskatchewan Health Plan for a period of ninety days. Some of the provinces from which a student might transfer will continue their Health Insurance support program for these three months and others will not. Students who are not covered by a provincial plan must acquire private insurance for this period of time.
All international students should immediately contact the International Student Office regarding their eligibility for the Saskatchewan Health Plan. Application forms are available in the International Student Office (Room 60, Place Riel Student Centre). Family members accompanying students are subject to the same health care considerations.
GSA Health and Dental Plans
All graduate students registered full-time in Fall Term One who are GSA members - including International Students - are automatically covered by the GSA Health & Dental Plan. Part-time and "Maintenance of status" students who are GSA members may enrol in the Plan during the Change-of-Coverage Period. Students who are on medical leave and who are interested in being covered by the Plan must contact studentcare.net/works, Tel: 306-933-0093 or Toll-free: 1-877-795-4428. The GSA is pleased to extend membership privileges to Post-Doctoral Fellows and graduate students registered at one of the affiliated colleges in the Saskatoon Theological Union. These students are not automatically covered, but can enrol themselves during the Change-of-Coverage Period upon payment of the GSA membership fees. Visit
www.studentcare.net for more information.
The Health Plan will cover eligible prescription drug costs up to 80%.
Vision care covers the cost of new or replacement eyeglasses or contact lenses. The maximum allowed is $75 per 2 policy years. One eye examination, up to $50, is covered per policy year. Laser eye surgery is covered to a maximum of $150 per policy year.
The Dental Plan covers 80% of preventative services, 60% of the price of fillings, and 50% of other basic services.
To offer students more comprehensive coverage, studentcare.net/works has set up networks of health-care professionals – the Studentcare Dental Network, the Studentcare Vision Network, the Studentcare Massage Therapy Network, and the Studentcare Physiotherapy Network. These professionals offer an additional reduction over and above any amount covered by the Health & Dental Plan. For more details regarding coverage and for a complete list of network members, visit
www.studentcare.net.
If students are covered by another plan (i.e. parent or spouse’s employee benefit plan), they can combine this plan with the GSA Health & Dental Plan to maximize their overall coverage and eliminate out-of-pocket costs. Alternately, if students are covered by an equivalent Health and/or Dental Plan, they can opt out during the Change-of-Coverage Period and receive a credit to their student account for the amount of the Plan. Students can also enrol their spouse and/or dependants during the Change-of-Coverage Period.
Change-of-Coverage Period: The period at the beginning of the term when you can either opt out or enrol yourself, your spouse and/or dependants in the GSA Health & Dental Plan. If you start school in September, the Change-of-Coverage Period is approximately the first two weeks of September. If you’re a new student starting in January, you can enrol yourself, your spouse and/or dependants during the January Change-of-Coverage Period (approximately the first two weeks of January). Please visit
www.studentcare.net for the specific Change-of-Coverage Period dates.
For more information, visit
www.studentcare.net, contact studentcare.net/works, Tel: 306-933-0093, Toll-free: 1-877-795-4428, or drop by the Health Dental Plan Office in Room 64, Lower Place Riel.