General Information

    The Benefits Guide for 2024-2025 is located here. Please have a read through for plan coverage questions. 

    By using the collective buying power of our members, and of students across Canada, the King’s Students’ Union is able to offer affordable extended health and dental coverage to all students at King’s. The plan is administered by the KSU (not the university administration). We are given assistance designing, negotiating, and administering the plan through the National Student Health Network, a service of the Canadian Federation of Students.

    Students enrolled in this year’s plan are eligible to receive reimbursement on drug, paramedical, dental and other medical expenses from September 1, 2024 until August 31, 2025. The cost of the health and dental plan for the full coverage year is 377.16$

    Full-time King’s students are automatically enrolled in both the health and dental plans, and are charged the appropriate fee on their tuition bill. 

    Full-time students with comparable coverage can opt out of one or both of the plans between September 1, 2024 to September 17th, 2024.

    If you would like to opt out of your health plan coverage but keep the dental plan, or vice versa, you are able to do so online. If you opt out of one or the other, you will be reimbursed for the cost which will be reflected in your student balance.

    Dental Plan ONLY (health plan opt out)Health Plan ONLY (dental plan opt out)
    83.88$293.28$ 

    The plan offers direct billing for most services. This means that rather than paying the full cost of the service and then sending in receipts to Green Shield, your service provider can bill Green Shield directly and you will have to pay just a fraction (normally one-fifth) of the cost up front. Some smaller providers may not offer direct billing but most pharmacies, hospitals, dental offices, and larger paramedical clinics should be able to direct bill.

    Make sure you have your health plan card or know your health plan number and tell the person billing you that you have a plan which offers direct billing! Details on how to file non-direct billing claims can be found on Green Shield’s webpage. Green Shield offers online claims and has recently developed a mobile app to help you manage your health and dental plan. Visit the Green Shield Student Centre for more details.

    Registering Online with Greenshield

    Students can click here to register for the plan to access their online account.

    If your student number begins with B00, your health and dental plan number is your student number with B00 replaced by UKC and “-00” at the end. For example, if your student number is B00123456, your health plan number will be UKC123456-00.

    If your student number begins with B01, your health and dental plan number is your student number with the B0 replaced by UKC and “-00” at the end. For example, if your student number is B01123456, your health plan number will be UKC1123456-00.

    How to Opt Out: A Step by Step Guide

    IMPORTANT NOTICE  –  The Black-Out Period & Opt-Out Period: All full-time students are automatically enrolled in the plan but can opt out online between September 1, 2024 to September 17th, 2024. Since we cannot finalize the enrolment lists until after the opt-out period closes, Green Shield cannot process our claims (either direct billing or uploaded receipts) until around the first week of October 2024. Additionally, students will be unable to access their Greenshield account  (it will come up as deactivated and/or you will be unable to register). As a result, please keep all receipts in September for claims you intend to submit until after the Black – Out period has ended.

    1. Log into your DalOnline account at www.dalonline.dal.ca.
    2.  Select “Web for Students”.
    3. Select “Additional Fee/Waiver Application” from the list of options. It should be near the bottom of the page.
    4. Select “Fall Term.”
    5. Enter the required information. In order to opt out you must show that you have existing comparable supplementary health coverage.
    6. Once you submit your information your opt-out is sent to the administrator for review. This review process can take 48-72 hours.
    7. You will receive one of three status updates:
      1. Accepted. You have successfully been opted out.
      2. Declined. Your opt-out has been declined. This usually means you did not show evidence of existing comparable coverage.
      3. Pending. You will be asked to provide additional information, usually this is just seeking clarification regarding your comparable coverage.

    Health/Dental Plan Coverage Terms:

    • Plan name: The name of your Provider (e.g: Medavie Blue Cross, Greenshield, Manulife, Claimsecure, etc.)
    • Plan number:  Your member ID number (personal number – NOT group number) as a member of the plan.
    • Plan owner:  The primary beneficiary of the plan (e.g., if you’re covered under a parent’s insurance, the plan will be in their name).

     Once your opt-out has been approved you will receive a credit for the amount reimbursed. It will be placed on your account with the King’s Bursar’s office and will count against future charges (i.e. tuition fees).

    REMINDER: Please make sure to provide details of your alternative health coverage plan that you will be using for the full academic year. All full- time Canadian students are legally required to be covered by a health insurance plan.  Contact the KSU if you have any questions.

    Coverage Basics 2024/2025

    • Prescription Drugs – The plan will cover 80% of the cost of prescription drugs (including prescribed vaccinations and oral contraceptives) up to a maximum of $1000 per year. Almost all pharmacies offer direct billing.
    • Extended Health Service & Emergency Transportation – Reasonable and customary charges for hospital accommodations (long term care is not covered). The plans covers 80% of the cost of land and air ambulance to hospital up to $1,100 per trip for land ambulance and $200 for air ambulance.
    • Medical Items – Reasonable and customary charges for braces, casts, aids for living, canes, crutches, wheelchairs, walkers, prosthetics, and respiratory/cardiology equipment.
    • Optometry – The plan will cover 80% of the cost an eye exam once per two year period. Up to $150 for eye glasses and contact lenses.
    • Paramedical services – Paramedical services including massage therapy, physiotherapy, acupuncture, and others. Different services have different maximum per-session coverage.
    • Dental Coverage – The plan will cover 80% of basic and comprehensive services, up to $750 per year.
    • Other Services – Some other services covered include travel insurance and emergency evacuation, home alteration, accidental death and dismemberment, and tutoring/special education post-injury.

     Booking Health Appointments: Students from Kings/Dalhousie can book health appointments here. The Health and Wellness Centre is located on the 2nd floor at 1246 LeMarchant Street.  Access to Health care providers at the Dalhousie Health and Wellness centre are included in the tuition costs of all Kings and Dalhousie students.

    For Master of Fine Arts Students

    Master of Fine Arts Students can access the 2024 MFA Health Plan Primer here. All questions can be directed to the KSU’s Services and Campaigns Coordinator at coordinator@ksu.ca.

    For International Students

    In addition to the Green Shield plan, international students are also automatically enrolled in the DSU International Health Plan. This plan offers comparable coverage to provincial health insurance that Nova Scotia residents have access to. It covers items such as general doctor’s appointments and emergency care. Click here for more information or reach out to dsuhealth@dal.ca.

    For Part-Time Students

    Part-time students (less than nine credit hours per semester) and students beginning their studies in the winter are not automatically enrolled in the health and dental plan. If you wish to enroll in the plan, fill out this form and return it and return it with your payment to the KSU office. Reach out to coordinator@ksu.ca if you have any questions.

    For Students with Families

    You may opt-in your spouses and dependents for an additional fee. Click here for the form to opt-in your spouse and here for the form to opt-in your dependents. PLEASE NOTE, STUDENTS MUST RE-ENROL THEIR DEPENDENTS EACH PLAN YEAR. DEPENDENTS ARE NOT AUTOMATICALLY CARRIED OVER.  When completed, please submit the forms and payment to the KSU office, and feel free to reach out to coordinator@ksu.ca if you have any questions.

    Contact Information

    Questions about Green Shields coverage details, claims, etc:

    If you have any unresolved issues with Green Shield or are unsure about your registration in the plan, please do not hesitate to contact the KSU’s Services and Campaigns Coordinator at coordinator@ksu.ca or 902-429-3399. 

    Office hours for the KSU’s Services and Campaigns Coordinator are Monday to Wednesday, 9 am – 4 pm, unless posted otherwise.