The Canadian model for health care is a mixed public/private system; approximately 30 to 40 per cent of normal annual health care expenses are covered through our public healthcare system. The balance is paid directly by individuals (out-of-pocket expenses) or through private health insurance plans, usually through an employer.

These costs can be extremely high and may pose a very real barrier to obtaining necessary health and dental care.

The UBCSUO extended Health & Dental plan does not replace the British Columbia Medical Services Plan (MSP) or an equivalent plan (such as other provincial health care plans or a private basic plan).   It offers you extra coverage in addition to basic medical covered by MSP.   You must have basic medical coverage in order to be eligible to use the extended coverage provided through the UBCSUO plan.

The UBCSUO plan covers many other services that basic MSP does not, including dental benefits, private tutorial benefits, travel health coverage, and more.

For more information on the Medical Services Plan for British Columbia, you can visit the B.C. Medical Services Plan website

Students in good standing with the University, who are members of the UBCSUO, and who are taking at least one course per term, are automatically enrolled in the UBCSUO extended Health & Dental Plan.

To confirm that your are enrolled in the extended Health and Dental plan, contact StudentCare directly at 1-877-795-4427 (or 1-236-766-2652) and provide your UBC student id number.

Although coverage begins September 1st, there is a Fall blackout period (approximately Sept. 1 - Oct. 31), as student enrolment is being finalized.
Students who were covered by the plan up-to the end of the previous policy year are not affected by the Fall Blackout Period​.  You can still submit paper claim forms during this period.
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> Pay-Direct Card

Your Plan includes the following health, dental, vision, and travel benefits:

• Up to 80% for prescription drugs (including most oral contraceptives)
• Up to 80% for vaccinations, up to $150 per calendar year
• $3,000 for health practitioners (psychologists, physiotherapists, chiropractors, etc...)
• $325 in vision care (eye exams, eyeglasses and contact lenses,laser eye surgery)
• $800 in dental care (checkups, cleanings, fillings, extractions, endodontics, periodontics, etc...)
• $5,000,000 in travel health coverage per incident and 120 days per trip 
• $5,000 for trip interruption and $1,500 for trip cancellation in the event of a medical emergency
• Ambulances, dental accidents, medical equipment, and more! 

Visit www.studentcare.ca for complete details.

You can also further enhance your benefits by visiting health professionals who are members of the Dental, Vision, Chiropractic, Physiotherapy, Doctor, Psychology, Massage Therapy Networks, and Mental Health Resources.  You are covered for the insured portion regardless of the health professional you choose. 

By consulting a Network member, you will get additional coverage.  For example, by visiting a Dental Network member, you will receive an additional 20% off dental services, enabling you to get up to 100% coverage.

Visit www.studentcare.ca for complete details.

2020-21

If you are covered by another extended health and/or dental plan (i.e. parent's or spouses employee plan, not B.C. M.S.P.), you can combine both plans to maximize your overall coverage and reduce or eliminate out-of-pocket costs.

Alternatively, if you have other equivalent coverage, you can opt out of the health portion, the dental portion, or the Plan in its entirety during the Change-of-Coverage Period from Sept. 8 - 29, 2020 for students starting in September, or from Jan. 4 - 25, 2021 for students starting in January.  The fee will be reversed from your student account shortly after the end of the Change-of-Coverage Period.   Please pay your tuition fees in full, to prevent any late penalty fees, reversed fees will automatically go towards furture tuition and student fees.

If you are eligible, the Change-of-Coverage Period is also when you can enrol yourself, your spouse and/or dependent children in the Plan.

The B.C. government introduced Fair PharmaCare to replace the PharmaCare program and improve the health status of residents across the province.

The new income-based program is designed to provide fair access to coverage for prescription drugs — the lower your income, the more assistance the government will provide toward your eligible drug costs. For example, if your net income from two years ago was less than $15,000, and you have registered for Fair PharmaCare, you will have 70 percent of your eligible prescription drug costs covered immediately, with no deductible.

All permanent B.C. residents are eligible for Fair PharmaCare and all eligible UBCSUO Plan members must register for the program.

Register for PharmaCare

Claim forms and procedures can be found online at www.studentcare.ca

To offer students more comprehensive coverage, www.studentcare.ca has set up networks of health-care professionals.

These professionals offer an additional reduction over and above any amount covered by your students' union extended Health & Dental Plan.  There are dental, vision, physiotherapy, massage therapy, chiropractic, mental health and psychology networks.  We recommend you visit www.studentcare.ca for updated lists of network members and a detailed explanation of the reductions they offer.

A pay direct card is a wallet sized card that displays your Carrier and Policy Number.  All you need to do is add your 8-digit student identification number in the boxes provided on the front of the card.  This will allow your service provider to access your PBC account.

You can access your pay direct card in two different ways.  You can drop by our office during office hours and pick up a card from the front counter or you can print a copy of your card from the Studentcare website.
www.studentcare.ca

Your pay direct card allows your service provider to electronically bill PBC on your behalf.  This means that you don’t have to go through the process of submitting a claim on your own after the fact.  It makes your life much easier and saves you valuable time for your studies.  It can also save you money as it can be easy to lose receipts and/or simply forget to submit them in the time frame required for reimbursement.

Not to worry!  If you lose your pay direct card, you can drop by our office and pick up another one or you can reprint another from the Studentcare website.  If you find yourself at an appointment and realize your either lost of forgot your card, feel free to give us a call and we can provide the carrier and policy number to your service provider so they can make an electronic claim for you.

No problem!  You can set up an online account with PBC and submit a claim on your own behalf.  All you need to do is follow the prompts and your claim will be submitted electronically without the need to mail in any supporting documentation.  

Please note that you will first need to provide your banking information to PBC as all online claims are reimbursed by way of direct deposit.  Just remember!  It is important to keep all your receipts for a full academic year in case you are subject to an audit by PBC.
https://service.pac.bluecross.ca/member/login/
 

From time to time, there will be the odd claim that will require you to manually submit your receipts.  In this case, you will need to fill out a claim form, attach your receipts and mail the information to PBC.
www.studentcare.ca

You will find a set of colourful pink Canada Post drop boxes just outside of Bus Terminal A.  Please be aware that we do not sell stamps on campus.  Stamps can be purchased at most Shoppers Drug Mart locations as well as at Canada Post outlets.

Please remember, you are always welcome to drop by our office anytime during office hours and we will be more than happy to help you with any questions you may have regarding your Health and Dental Plan, or any other Union matters you may require assistance with, or call 1-877-795-4427 (or 1-236-766-2652).