Wait… am I covered for this? A guide to your UW student insurance

Have you ever broken a bone doing a party trick? What about getting a cavity filled after shotgunning one too many chocolates over the holiday season? Do you find yourself going to the optometrist every year for a new prescription? These expenses can quickly add up but luckily, your UW student insurance can help you through all these situations and more. 

As part of your student fees, you are eligible for insurance coverage through three main programs:  

The first is Studentcare (soon to be rebranded under the name Alumo), which provides the Health and Dental Plan available to UW undergraduates. According to WUSA, the plan has over 24,000 enrolled students every year and is their most used service. It is offered to all full-time and part-time students, international students, co-op students, and students on exchange. 

The Health and Dental Plan provides a wide array of benefits, such as drug prescriptions, naturopathic doctors, massage therapists, medical equipment, glasses and contacts, dental work, and mental health support. There’s over $10,000 available for prescription drugs and health practitioners, $350 in vision coverage, and $750 in dental coverage. 

The Health and Dental Plan also includes travel coverage if you are on an exchange term or an out-of-province or international co-op term. Travel coverage exists up to 150 days per trip and has up to a maximum of $1,000,000 per lifetime in the event of a medical emergency and coverage during your travel. 

Furthermore, as a result of a motion passed at WUSA’s 2024 Annual General Meeting, WUSA will now also be looking into including comprehensive coverage for gender-affirming care in future iterations of the plan. More details will be revealed about these changes in the coming terms. 

The second program is Empower Me, a free mental health service available either virtually or in person on campus 24/7, 365 days a year. Empower Me allows students to receive immediate or scheduled care on campus through mental health professionals. To make an appointment, you will need to navigate to the Dialogue mobile app and first make an account. Appointments can be made within 24 hours of booking, and you are able to get support in an array of topics, such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse, disordered eating, interpersonal conflict, and more. 

The third program is the Legal Protection Program, which aims to provide advice and legal service coverage on issues regarding academic rights, co-op and employment, and housing and tenancy. The program also provides financial aid to help with legal representation fees, and can be accessed by first filling out an online Support Form through the Studentcare website. 

Opting out?

But what if you’re already covered under a separate health or dental plan, such as a parent’s or spouse’s plan? If you do not want to use the Studentcare Plan, you have the option of opting out during a Change-of-Coverage Period that typically occurs in the first month of every term. In order to opt out of the health portion of the plan, you need to provide proof of coverage by an equivalent health plan. Note that only having provincial health care cannot count as proof of coverage to opt out. For the dental portion of the plan, you can opt out without submitting proof of equivalent dental coverage. Opting out can be done by filling out an online form on the Studentcare website, where you will be prompted to also submit your proof of coverage if required. 

While opting out, you will still have to pay all your student fees at the start of the term. Once your request to opt out is processed at the end of the Change-of-Coverage Period, the amount you paid to be included in the student plan will be reimbursed to you. If you’re on a co-op term, you will have to wait until your next academic term to opt out. 

Opting out of the Legal Protection Program is an easier process since it is an optional service, and can be done when paying your fees, through the “opt out” service on UW Quest. 

How exactly do I claim my benefits? 

Navigating your insurance can be overwhelming, especially if it’s your first time using your own coverage. “I had to go online and figure out a lot of things myself. And then on the off chance that I ran into an upper year student and they had some time, they would explain things to me,” says Haya Kharouba, a third year communications student who has experience utilizing her insurance. “If I knew all that I knew about insurance now when I was in first year, I feel like I would have gone through a much easier time with health and insurance work.”

And so, here is a simple guide for how exactly to use the insurance that is included in your student fees: 

1. Health and Dental Plan — Wide array of services offered. Three ways to claim are available:

a. Presenting your Pay-Direct card during time of payment. This card can be found on the Studentcare website, and contains your student insurance information required for billing

b. Pay upfront during time of payment and submit receipts online for reimbursement through the Securian Canada website

c. Pay upfront during time of payment and mail in Claim Forms (available on the Studentcare website) to Securian Canada 

2. Travel Insurance — Included in your Health and Dental Plan

a. Ensure that you are carrying your Securian Canada Travel Health Passport while travelling (available on the Studentcare website) as proof of coverage

b. To claim, contact CanAssistance at the following numbers to begin the process (Canada & United States: 1-888-852-2419, local: 1-514-904-4730)

3. Empower Me — Free mental health services available 24/7, 365 days a year. To access, navigate to the Dialogue mobile app

4. Legal Protection Program — Legal counselling and services available for students 

a. To access, fill out an online Support Form on the Studentcare website

b. Opting out can be done when paying fees on Quest

Where can I go with questions, comments, and concerns? 

Even the best insurance plans can have aspects that you might have questions and comments about. When asked about suggestions she had for the student insurance plans at UW, Kharouba had this to say: “I wish there were more tutorials where they walk you through [claiming your benefits]. I was so surprised to see how much access we have to our insurance and how much people don’t know. It’s so upsetting,” 

If you have further questions and concerns like this, you can participate in numerous WUSA surveys conducted to improve upon the student insurance programs. 

“We also gather feedback on our plans related to program renewals and coverage reviews. In 2024, we ran a feedback survey on the Legal Protection Program, and earlier this year we collected feedback on the Studentcare Health and Dental Plan,” said WUSA in a statement about the feedback system for student insurance. “We plan to collect more feedback on the plan this fall, in 2025.” 

So the next time you need to visit the doctor to nurse a sprain, feel the onset of a cavity coming on, or find yourself in a sticky legal situation, remember that your student insurance has you covered!