Health & Dental

NISU Provides a Health & Dental Plan

Access to thousands of dollars in coverage for prescription medications, dental treatments, vision care, paramedical services, and many additional benefits all aimed to support students.

Health & Dental FAQ

This extended health and dental plan is mandatorily applied to students taking six or more credits who begin within the first six weeks of January & September.

This plan is paperless by design. There is no mail or coverage card provided. After the registration period, members may access a digital card, which can be printed. A coverage card is not necessary.

Plan ID is NTHstudentnumber-00,  Example, N0123456 is NTH123456-00

Those with N and/or zeros in front of a student number must omit the N and/or zeros.

Students with enrolled family will review individual family numbers, online, after the registration period.

Plan Coverage

Who is covered? (Eligibility Criteria)

The Students’ Union health & dental plan is automatically applied to all students who begin September or January and are taking six or more credits or 24 weeks or longer trades/vocational training.

To see if the fee was applied, log in to the myNIC student account. Under the Self-Service Menu in Financial Information, look for a charge, NISU Health and Dental Fee of $275.

What does the plan cost?

The Students’ Union plan contains a broad range of benefits tailored to support students.

It is an annual fee of $275 for one year of coverage. This is less than $23 per month and provides access to thousands of dollars in benefits.

What does the plan cover?

This is a summary of the coverage provided by the Students’ Union:

  • 80% coverage for eligible prescription medications, up to $2,000 per year.
  • $50 of coverage per visit for 6 appointments per benefit year by paramedical providers in each of the following areas; physiotherapy, chiropractic care, massage therapy (with prescription), acupuncture, naturopath, speech therapy, podiatrist or chiropodist.
  • Coverage of $75 per visit, for 9 appointments per benefit year for counselling by a social worker, counsellor or psychologist.
  • Vision coverage of $225 every two years ($100 for eye exams and $125 for prescription glasses, contacts, etc).
  • Dental coverage of up to $700 per year for preventative and restorative work at 80% coverage.
  • Travel insurance for trips of up to 90 days.
  • Access to a tutor, should you become ill or injured while studying.
  • A comprehensive accidental death and dismemberment benefit plan.
  • A legal advisory service that provides telephone legal assistance and access to legal representation at a discount.

Click here for a full and detailed list of what’s covered.

How long are you covered?

The plan covers students and eligible families for a full year, September 1 – August 31 or January 1 – December 31, regardless of your student status. For example, pay the premium in September and graduate in December, still covered until August 31.

Registration period

Each year while Green Shield Canada collects and updates enrolment information there is a temporary registration period. During this time students are covered by the plan though have no online access, direct billing, or ability to make claims. When the registration period ends, students are able to submit for reimbursement of eligible costs incurred during the registration period. Returning students also face registration periods each year the plan renews.

Registration periods are:

September 1 – October 30 for Fall enrolment
January 1 – February 28 for Winter enrolment.

Green Shield plan member ID

Covered students Green Shield plan ID, is the three-letter school code, NTH, followed by the student number and “-00”.

For example, if the student number is N0123456 the plan ID would be NTH123456-00.

In the event there are zeros or N at the start of the student number, do not include those.

Green Shield Canada (GSC) does not provide a physical plan ID card, though once registered one can print or view a digital copy through the GSC Everywhere app.

Adding family

Eligible students may add a single dependent (spouse, common-law partner, or one child) for an additional payment of $275, or can add a whole family for a total payment of $480.

Unfortunately, parents or siblings of students are not eligible to be added to the plan.

Enrolled students will receive an email from Student Health BC to their @northislandcollege.ca email address and will have 30 days from the receipt of this email to add eligible families. Enrolment emails are expected in late October & late February respectively and the fee will be payable online.

If payment via credit card is a barrier, please contact us for alternative payment options, at healthanddental@nisu.ca.

Opting Out

Other coverage and opting out

Students who have existing, equivalent coverage may opt out of the extended health and dental plan. Examples of existing equivalent coverage may be from a workplace, spouse or parents’ workplace, coverage with First Nations Health or the Ministry of Social Development & Poverty Reduction (social assistance).

Students starting in the Fall must submit their application by October 1 to be considered, and Winter starting students must submit by January 31.

Click here to opt out: Student Health BC

By completing the opt out process through this website above, a request to opt out is sent to the Students’ Union, who processes that request by evaluating the information and ensuring that the equivalent coverage is valid. This process can sometimes take a few days or even a few weeks when volumes are high. Students can review their financial information in the Self Service area of myNIC.

Once an opt-out is approved, this status remains on the student record. No need to opt-out each term. Should a student lose the coverage they opted out with, they have 30 days to apply to be added to the Students’ Union plan. Contact NISU, healthanddental@nisu.ca for the form and guidance.

Opting in if loss of coverage

A student may apply to be re-added to the plan if the coverage supplied when opting out has been discontinued through no fault of their own (lost a job, aged out of parental coverage, etc). To opt back into the plan, contact us within 30 days of losing the existing coverage to apply for readmission to the Students’ Union’s plan. Email healthanddental@nisu.ca.

Learn about coverage before opting out

Students who have existing coverage can choose to enjoy both plans and take advantage of dual coverage. Read through the coverage provided with the Students’ Union plan before deciding to opt out with equivalent coverage.

Review the whole benefits booklet here: NISU 2023 – 2024 Coverage Booklet

Do students covered with First Nations Health (FNH) need to opt out of the Students’ Union plan?

Students covered by First Nations Health do qualify to opt out of the student plan.

It is important to note that the Students’ Union plan covers paramedical services such as physiotherapy, chiropractic care, massage therapy (with prescription), acupuncture, naturopath, speech therapy, podiatrist or chiropodist, which are excluded from First Nations Health. The Students’ Union plan also includes robust pharmaceutical coverage which most often exceeds FNH coverage. Mental health support is also part of the Students’ Union plan, with access to services with a counselor, social worker, or psychologist. Students can enjoy coverage from both plans and are invited to learn more about plan coverage before opting out.

Students who opt out with FNH are not eligible to opt into the plan at a later date.

Please feel free to email healthanddental@nisu.ca to learn more about what is the best fit for your personal health. Students may choose to enjoy coverage with both plans. Students with sponsored education may not be provided financial support for the costs of the Students’ Union health and dental plan, be sure to connect with the sponsor.

How to sign up for your Green Shield online account

Covered students receive an email from Student Health BC, once the registration period has ended, with instructions to enrol with Green Shield Canada, our plan provider. Visit GSC Everywhere to get started, after registration period has closed.

Classes start September/October, enrol after October 30.

Classes start January/February, enrol after February 28.

Once enrolled, students can download the GSC Everywhere app and submit claims right from a mobile device.

We can be reached via email and phone, or feel free to pop by any NISU office during business hours.