Health & Dental Plan

Welcome to the NUGSS Health and Dental Plan!

NUGSS has partnered with Studentcare to provide undergraduate students at UNBC with extended health and dental coverage. NUGSS does not administer any aspect of the Health and Dental Plan; this is all taken care of by Studentcare.

For complete information on your Plan and its coverage, please visit www.studentcare.ca or call 1-250-649-4552 before contacting NUGSS, as they are the most knowledgeable on the benefits offered with the Plan. If you continue to have issues, come see us or email nugss-hello@unbc.ca, and we can forward your questions to the plan managers for follow-up.

All full-time students at the Prince George campus are automatically enrolled in the Plan. Students who start their full-time studies in the Fall Semester in September are enrolled at that time and charged the full coverage year fee. Students who begin their full-time studies in the Winter Semester in January are enrolled at that time and charged a pro-rated fee for the remainder of the coverage year.  Please check your student fees (MyUNBC > Student Online Services > Student Online Services > Account Summary by Term) to see if the Health and Dental Plan fee is on your account. 

SELF-ENROLLMENT FOR YOURSELF, YOUR SPOUSE AND/OR DEPENDENTS

Part-time, co-op work term and internship students, third- and fourth-year medical students and regional students are not automatically covered and must self-enroll in the plan through the Studentcare website during the Change of Coverage Period in the semester your studies start at UNBC. Students starting in the May semester (Full-time or Part-time) can voluntarily opt into the plan during the May intake period. Full-time students automatically enrolled in the Plan may also self-enroll their spouse/dependents during this time.

OPTING OUT OF THE HEALTH AND DENTAL PLAN

If an equivalent plan already covers you, you may either combine that plan with the NUGSS Plan to maximize your savings or apply to Studentcare to opt out of the NUGSS Health and Dental Plan. Proof of Coverage must accompany ALL requests to opt out of the Plan and must be submitted through the Studentcare website by the last day of the Studentcare Change of Coverage Period. NUGSS has no access to student accounts and cannot process any opt-out requests.

*Students are responsible for paying all UNBC fees within the deadlines set by UNBC to avoid being assessed late fees and interest or having a hold placed on their account preventing them from registering for future classes or accessing their transcripts. This includes your Health and Dental Plan fee even if you opt-out. Once Studentcare approves your opt-out request, UNBC will be notified after the Change of Coverage Period ends, and the Plan fees will be credited to your student account. Please check your student fees (MyUNBC > Student Online Services > Student Online Services > Account Summary by Term) during the month after the end of the Change of Coverage Period to see if the fees have been credited to your account.

Studentcare Change of Coverage Period

The Change of Coverage period for the Health and Dental plan is from September 5 to 26, 2023, for students who start their studies in the Fall Semester and January 2 to 23, 2024, for students who start their studies in the Winter Semester. For students starting in the May semester, you are able to self-enroll from May 1 to 21, 2024.

 ALL requests to opt out of the Plan or to self-enroll yourself or your spouse/dependents must be submitted through the Studentcare website by the end of the last day of the Change of Coverage Period for the semester in which your studies began for the current academic year.

The permanent opt-out feature has been discontinued, and students wishing to opt out must now do so annually. Proof of equivalent coverage must only be submitted to Studentcare during your first opt-out request. Subsequent years will still require you to visit the Studentcare website to opt out.

You can find more information about opting out by contacting the NUGSS office or following this link. 

How To Make a Claim

Many students have questions about how to file a claim. To make a claim, visit the Studentcare website or download the Pacific Blue Cross app. If you still have additional questions, email us at nugss-hello@unbc.ca 

NUGSS January 2020 Automatic Opt-in Referendum

NUGSS hosted a Health & Dental Referendum in January 2020 to begin automatically enrolling Full-time Winter Semester students at the UNBC Prince George campus into the NUGSS Extended Health & Dental Plan. 

The referendum passed; please see the official results - NUGSS January Automatic Opt-In Referendum Jan 2021

Contact us if you have any additional questions at nugss-hello@unbc.ca

Empower Me Program

NUGSS and Studentcare have launched the Empower Me program, which is available to all NUGSS fee-paying students.

Please keep in mind that this program is not meant to replace or supersede any medical advice or program you are currently following.

Please see the Empower Me FAQ document for additional details. Learn more at www.studentcare.ca or call the 24/7 helpline at 1-833-628-5589 (toll-free).