To be eligible, you must be enrolled in an applicable full-time program of 16 weeks or longer. It is your responsibility to know when your coverage starts and ends. You can check this at my.bcit.ca under your registration fees. It is also mandatory for you to have basic medical coverage such as MSP (Services Card/Personal Health Number/Care Card). International students must have Guard.me temporary insurance or comparable coverage. Students from another Canadian province must ensure they have basic medical coverage from their home province. 

MSP stands for the Medical Services Plan of British Columbia. After receiving your Personal Health Number (Services Card/Care Card), you qualify for basic medical coverage including doctor’s appointments, medical tests, hospital stays, and more. It is your responsibility to be in good standing with your MSP. The BCITSA Student Health Plan does not cover this expense for you. 

Fair Pharmacare is a prescription assistance program set up by the BC Government to help with the cost of prescriptions. By signing up, you are getting better prescription coverage and are ultimately helping decrease the cost of the plan. 

Visit the BC Ministry of Health Pharmacare

YES! You are covered under the plan if you fill the eligibility criteria and have basic medical coverage. If you don’t have basic coverage, you can purchase Student Guard (Guard Me) through the International Student Office and/or sign up for MSP within three (3) months of moving to BC. To pick up your benefits card, please show your study permit with your basic medical insurance at the BCITSA Health & Dental Office.

Part-time students and students in full-time programs less than 16 weeks are not eligible for the BCITSA Health & Dental Plan. If you enroll in a full-time applicable program in the future, you will automatically be on the plan when you are assessed in your registration fees. 

To purchase interim optional coverage, please refer to the following link.

General highlights of the Student Benefit Plan 

Prescription drugs 

Dental coverage (up to $750 per benefit year) 

Optical ($150 towards eyeglasses or contact lenses and $60 for one eye exam every 24 months) 

Paramedical practitioners (physiotherapy, chiropractic, psychology, and more) 

Travel insurance 

Ambulance coverage 

For a complete list of covered expenses and amounts click here

To download the travel insurance booklet click here

For a copy of the travel medical card, click here  

Starting January 1, 2020, the student insurance provider “Great-West Life” has rebranded to “Canada Life.” All policy numbers and policy provisions are unchanged. You may still see Great-West Life on your forms and statements until they fully transition to Canada Life. 

IMPORTANT – If you are new to the plan or if there has been a break since you were last on the plan, there is an eight-week validation period from the start date of your program at BCIT where you will not be able to submit claims. Hold onto the original copies of your receipts and submit them after the validation period has finished to Great West Life/Canada Life.  

IT IS EASY TO MAKE A CLAIM! You can submit online claims (within six months from the date of service) to our provider Great West Life/Canada Life   or  you can download the hard copy form (within 15 months from the date of service) to mail the claim. 

You can use the myBenefits card at any pharmacy or dental office that uses electronic billing, and your percentage of reimbursement will be taken off at the source. The Extended Health and Optical coverage generally do not use the benefit card, and you usually must pay upfront for these services and go through a receipt process. Always ask if you can use your card before paying. 

You have within 30-days from the start date of your program, once per year, to add your spouse and/or dependents to the BCITSA Student Health & Dental Plan (or within 30 days of loss of comparable coverage at any time during your benefit year). There are no exceptions if this deadline is missed. 

The add-on coverage is not automatically reinstated after 12 months; the student must redo the process every policy year.  

 Family Add-on Fee Structure – click here

They are not automatically on the plan, but you can add them if you have been living with them for 12 months or longer. 

See above: Is my family covered under the BCITSA Student Health & Dental Plan? in the FAQ’s for more details on adding family members. 

Can I add-on my family members? 

Family members are limited to spouse and/or children dependents only. 

IMPORTANT – You have 30-days from the start date of your program to add family members to your policy, so don’t be late! 

Fill out the online family add-on form or visit the BCITSA Health & Dental office in SE2 to process in person. 

We accept cash or cheque payments in person at the BCITSA Health & Dental office in SE2. 

The online add-on form/payment only accepts Mastercard or Visa. Once this form is submitted, you will receive a confirmation email that the benefits office received your form. You’ll then receive an email from the benefits office stating whether the add-on is approved or denied.  

If you have previously opted out of the plan, you can opt-in within 30-days of your policy anniversary every year if you are still an eligible student. The policy anniversary is based on the month your program originally started. You may also opt-in within 30-days of losing your comparable other coverage during the academic year. If this is the case, showing official supporting documents is mandatory. 

To Opt-In, fill out this form and bring it to the Student Health & Dental plan office in SE2 Room 286 in the Student Association Centre. Please come by the office or email us the form to healthplan@bcitsa.ca ahead of time to receive a quote on the cost of opting back in and information on payment methods. Supporting documentation may be required.  

You can also complete and pay for this process online. Once this form is submitted, you will receive an email with further information. 

You can coordinate between both of your plans to maximize your coverage (100% in some cases) OR opt-out of the plan. 

Eligible students can opt-out once per year within the first 30-days from their program start date. No exceptions can be made if this deadline has passed. If the deadline is missed, the student can opt-out during the policy anniversary.  

1. Download the Student Benefits Waiver Form or pick it up at the BCITSA Health & Dental office. 

• Drop into the BCITSA Health & Dental plan office to submit forms with their BCIT ID, their letter of acceptance or picture ID, and proof of comparable other coverage. 
  Room 286, 2nd Floor, 
  Student Association Centre, SE2 
  3700 Willingdon Ave, Burnaby, BC
   

1. Fill out the online form 

Please note this is a one-time opt-out. You will remain opted out of the plan unless you actively choose to opt back in or if there is a change in your status (e.g. if you drop down to part-time, then go back up to full-time). However, we encourage all students to check their fees and tuition each term to ensure that they are not accidentally charged. 

IMPORTANT: Students with a completed waiver/opt-out form must provide one of the following examples as proof of comparable other coverage: 

Photocopy of extended health & dental benefits coverage with policy information 

Letter from insurance provider or employer stating extended health & dental coverage with policy numbers 

Previously processed claim 

If you do not have comparable coverage through another provider, you cannot opt-out. If you already have coverage through your parents, spouse, or work, you CAN opt-out. 

Having MSP does not count as comparable coverage.

Please do not hesitate to contact Student Health & Dental directly at: 

Kelsey Leung – Student Health & Dental Plan Administrator 

Email: healthplan@bcitsa.ca  

Phone: 604-456-8056 (for general inquires) 

BCITSA Health & Dental Plan Office 

Student Association Centre 

Building SE2, 2nd Floor, Room #286 

3700 Willingdon Ave. 

Burnaby, BC V5G 3H2