being on the plan…

Student extended health and dental plans are common to virtually every college and university in Canada, and just like at VIU, are provided by the Students' Union.

Contact Plan Administrator (VIUSU)
1 (250) 754-8866
healthanddental@viusu.ca

WHAT DOES THE PLAN COST?

The Students’ Union health and dental plan contains a huge range of benefits that helps students with medical and other issues. The plan costs less than $23 per month and provides access to thousands of dollars in benefits. 

HEALTH PLAN CARD AND NUMBER

After the end of the temporary blackout period you will be able to register for online services at GSC and download the GSC Everywhere app. Your card will be displayed with your name and policy number. There is also a copy that can be printed from the GSC website. 

Your policy number is MSU followed by your nine-digit student number-00.

Example:  MSU123456789-00

As the primary insured person, you are assigned the code ‘00’ directly after your student number. If a spouse, partner, and /or other dependent(s) has been added to the plan, each dependent, in descending order of age, is assigned a dependent code starting with ‘01’. It is important to delineate between policy codes when making claims for each dependent.

WHAT IS THE REGISTRATION PERIOD?

Are you a returning student or new to the health and dental plan?  You’ll be in a temporary “registration period” (aka inactive) that begins on the first day of coverage and is generally around 45 days in duration. Don’t worry. You still are covered during this time, however, you will be unable to bill for services directly. Save any receipts for health or dental costs that are incurred during this period and you will be able to register for online services at GSC and submit your claims electronically after the registration period has ended.

NEED TO ADD DEPENDENT(S)?

Adding dependents is done through our third-party data administrator AGA Benefits Solutions.
After the registration period is over you will receive an email from AGA Benefits with a link to register on your personal online portal. This portal allows you to assign a beneficiary for your Life and Accident Insurance. Registration with Green Shield Canada (GSC) without having registered with AGA Benefits is still possible. You can revisit the portal later to do this but if you’re wanting to add dependents it must be done prior to the date in your email (the last day of the month in which you receive the email).

The following is required to register on your online portal:

The ‘Certificate Number’ is ​123456789 (your 9-digit student number).
The ‘Client Number’ is VIU- ​(no numbers, just VIU-)

Adding a dependent(s) to your coverage can be done for an additional fee. The fee to add one dependent is $275. The fee to add more than one dependent(s) is $480. Dependents need to be added each year. Dependents will not have the Student Group & Accident Insurance plan or the Tutorial Benefit.

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR PLAN

Once the opt out period has concluded and those students are removed, and once the associated fees are paid, the Students' Union enrols remaining eligible students in the Plan for one year of coverage, beginning in the month of your program start date and ending twelve months later.

Contact Green Shield
1 (888) 711-1119

WHAT DOES THE PLAN COVER?

The following is a summary of the components of the coverage provided by the Students’ Union:

• 80% coverage for prescription medications up to $2,000 per year;

• Coverage of $50 per visit for treatments by paramedical providers (physiotherapist, chiropractor, etc) with total coverage of up to $300 per year per type of treatment;

• Up to $575 per year in coverage for counselling by a social worker or psychologist (provided at $75 per visit);

• Vision coverage at $225 every two years ($100 every two years for eye exams plus $125 every two years for prescription glasses, contacts, etc);

• Dental coverage of up to $700 per year for preventative and restorative work at 80% coverage;

• Travel insurance for trips of up to 90 days;

• A comprehensive Student Group & Accident Insurance plan;

• A legal advisory service that provides telephone legal assistance and access to legal representation at a discount;

Please note that the benefit booklets of the respective providers are the official list of what’s covered, inclusive of their definitions and outlines.