This is your

Graduate Student
Health & Dental Plan.

XGSU provides affordable and comprehensive health and dental coverage to all full-time graduate students at X University The health and dental plans are provided through Green Shield Canada, the only national not-for-profit insurance provider in Canada with the support of the National Student Health Network.

Overview

What are your benefits?

Your health and dental plan offers comprehensive benefits, ranging from drug, paramedical, dental, vision, trip, and accidental. If you are registered for both the Fall and Winter sessions of the academic year, you are covered from September 1 to August 31. If you are registered to begin your studies in the Winter session of the academic year, you are covered from January 1 to August 31.

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prescription drug

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paramedical

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dental

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vision

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trip

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accident

Benefits Overview

Your GSC
Student Centre

The GSC Student Centre is your resource hub to learn about your benefits, submit claims, get discounts, and more!

GO TO STUDENT CENTRE

Enrolment

Who is enrolled in the plan?

Full-time graduate students are automatically enrolled in the XGSU plan. Depending on your registration, the plan provides extended health and dental coverage for up to 12 months, from September 1 to August 31, annually. The plan covers medical expenses that are not covered by the provincial government, therefore, they are supplementary to coverage under OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Plan) or UHIP (University Health Insurance Plan), not a substitute.

Part-time graduate students are not automatically enrolled in the plan but may elect to opt-in to the plan. All students enrolled on the plan may choose to opt-in their spouse/common-law partner and/or dependent children to the plan.

When can I access the plan?

To access the plan, your enrolment information must be provided to GSC from X University after the add/drop course period. This will be in November (for fall term start students) or March (for winter term start students). Your coverage is retroactive to September 1 (for fall term start students) or January 1 (for winter term start students). Please keep any original receipts for health or dental expenses covered by the Plan to make a claim once you are enrolled.

How do I use the plan?

To access the plan you will need to use your GSC plan member id. Your plan member ID is RGU (9-digit student number)-00. For example, RGU123456789-00. For a spouse and/or additional dependents added on the plan, the suffix may be “-01” or “-02”. You can provide your plan member ID to the pharmacy when picking up perscription medication and to practitioners who direct bill, like dentists!

If a provider does not direct bill, you can submit your receipt to GSC for eligible expenses and be reimbursed by direct deposit to your bank account. Sign up for GSC Everywhere to receive your reimbursement.

LEARN MORE

Online

What is GSC Everywhere?

GSC Everywhere is your online and mobile self-service platform that lets you instantly connect to your benefits plan information. With GSC Everywhere, you can:

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Submit claims, check claim status and filter your claim history, download personalized claim forms, find providers who submit claims for you, and sign up for direct deposit

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Read detailed benefit booklets, check coverage eligibility instantly, and see your remaining coverage balances

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Access the Digital Clinic and Change4Life, access your digital ID card, and visit the GSC Support Centre

GO TO GSC EVERYWHERE

How do I register for GSC Everywhere?

To access GSC Everywhere, you will need to register once you are enrolled to the plan (see When can I access the plan? above for more information).

To register, you will need your GSC plan member ID (this is RGU (9-digit student number)-00) and an email address. For more information, watch this video on how to register.

REGISTER NOW

Is there an app?

GSC Everywhere is available to download to your smartphone! Gain all the same benefits as online in an easy to use mobile app.

What discounts are available?

GSC offers a variety of discounts to students that will result in significant savings for you!

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Student Dental Discount Network: Provides a guaranteed 30% discount on basic dental services and a guaranteed 20% discount on all other dental services

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Vision: Save on your next prescription glasses or contacts purchase

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Shoppers Drug Mart: Save 10% every day on President Choice®, no name®, Quo® & Life Brand® products

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Hearing Devices: Exclusive savings on Starkey hearing devices

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And so many more!

GO TO DISCOUNTS

Change Periods: Opting Out

What if I have other coverage?

If you have comparable health and dental benefits through another plan, such as an employer plan or your parents’, you can apply to opt-out of the XGSU health and dental plan. Note: the CUPE 3904 unit 3 health and dental plan cannot be used as a comparable plan to opt-out. Students are required to opt-out on an annual basis.

Can I coordinate benefits?

Yes! If you have health and dental benefit coverage through another plan, you can coordinate benefits. This means that you can use both plans to maximize your available coverage.

Do I opt-out every year?

Yes! You must opt-out every academic year during your first eligible term. For most students, this means you must submit an opt-out application annually during the Fall opt-out period.

How am I refunded?

After the opt-out period closes and your application to opt-out is approved, you will receive a refund from the XGSU by Interac e-transfer to the email address you provided on your application to opt-out. The Interac e-transfer funds will be issued in late October or early November. This transfer will allow you to deposit your refund to your preferred bank account and have immediate access to the funds.

How do I opt-out of the plan?

To apply to opt-out, you must submit an opt-out application within the opt-out period during your first eligible term. Students beginning an academic term in September must opt-out during the Fall opt-out period. Students beginning an academic term as a new student in January must opt-out during the Winter opt-out period. No exceptions will be granted if an opt-out application is not submitted to the XGSU opt-out portal within the opt-out period. Students must provide proof of comparable health and dental plan coverage with the opt-out application.

Fall opt-out period: September 1, 2021 to October 2, 2021.

OPT-OUT HERE

Change Periods: Opting In

Can I join the plan?

Part-time graduate students are eligible to opt-in to the health and dental plan. All students enrolled on the plan may choose to opt-in their spouse/common law partner and/or dependent children. Additional plan fees apply. Opt-in applications will only be accepted during the student’s first eligible term during the opt-in period. No exceptions will be granted if an opt-in application is not submitted to the XGSU opt-in portal within the opt-in period.

Fall opt-in period: September 1, 2021 to October 2, 2021.

When is the plan available?

When you opt-in to the plan or opt-in dependents, your coverage will be activated usually in October, after the opt-in period closes and enrolment information from the University is processed. Coverage will be retroactive to to beginning of the period. For Fall students, coverage is retroactive to September 1 and for Winter students, coverage is retroactive to January 1.

Who qualifies as dependents?

Spouse/Common Law Partner is a dependent who a student is legally married to or is a common law partner as defined by the Canada Revenue Agency.

A child is a dependent who a student is the legal guardian of and is 18 years old or younger. If the child is enrolled in full-time school, the child is considered a dependent until they are 25 years old.

No other family members or friends are eligible to be opted-in to the plan.

Do I opt-in every year?

Yes! Part-time students must opt-in every academic year during your first eligible term. For most students, this means you must submit an opt-in application annually during the Fall opt-in period. Students adding dependents to the plan must opt-in each dependent annually during the students’ first eligible term.

How do I opt-in to the plan?

To apply to opt-in, you must submit an opt-in application within the opt-in period during your first eligible term.

Part-time students beginning an academic term in September must opt-in during the Fall opt-in period. Part-time students beginning an academic term as a new student in January must opt-in during the Winter opt-in period.

Students with dependents may opt-in their spouse/common law partner and/or children to the plan during the student’s first eligible term. Students beginning an academic term in September must opt-in during the Fall opt-in period. Part-time students beginning an academic term as a new student in January must opt-in during the Winter opt-in period.

No exceptions will be granted if an opt-in application is not submitted to the XGSU opt-in portal within the opt-in period.

Fall opt-out period: September 1, 2021 to October 2, 2021.

OPT-IN HERE

Have a question?

We’re here to help!

Enrolment, opt-in, and opt-out related questions

Your XGSU team can assist you further. Please email healthplan@xgsu.ca for support.

Benefits, coverage, and claims related quisitions

A dedicated team at GSC can help you. Choose your preferred method of communication:

Telephone: Contact the GSC Customer Service Centre (Mon to Fri 8:30 am – 8:30 pm ET) at 1-888-711-1119

Email: customer.service@greenshield.ca

Secure Message: log in to GSC Everywhere to send a secure message

Support Centre: search hundreds of FAQs at the GSC Support Centre

Review our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

We may have the answer you are looking for!

How do I pay for the plan?

If you are a full-time graduate student, you are automatically enrolled in the XGSU health and dental plan. You will be charged for the plan by X University and can find this on your RAMSS Student Account. If you a part-time student or are enrolling in your spouse/common-law partner or children, you can opt-in to the plan during the opt-in period. Once your opt-in application is approved, the XGSU will communicate with you to make payment.

How do I submit claims I made prior to September 1, 2021?

If you were enrolled in the Ryerson Student Union (RSU) health and dental plans for the September 1, 2020 to August 31, 2021 plan year, any claims you have made prior to September 1, 2021 will need to be submitted to the RSU plan. For information on how to submit your claims made prior to September 1, 2021, please visit the RSU health and dental plan website.