About the APUS Health and Dental Plans
APUS provides affordable health and dental coverage to part-time students across all three campuses of the University. Depending on your registration, the plans provide extended health and dental coverage for up to 12 months, from September 1 to August 31 annually. The plans cover medical expenses that are not covered by provincial or other health insurance. The plans are supplementary to coverage under OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Plan) or UHIP (University Health Insurance Plan), not a substitute. Through the health and dental plans, we do our best to provide coverage to address our members’ common health needs. Our health and dental plans are provided through Green Shield Canada, the only national not-for-profit insurance provider in Canada.
If you have a question about your coverage or have encountered a problem trying to make a claim, scroll down to read our FAQs. You can also email the Member Services Coordinator at services@apus.ca.
Click here for more information about OHIP.
Click here for more information about OHIP+ for people under 25.
Click here for more information about UHIP.
Click here for the Family Opt-In Form.
Click here for the Senior Opt-In Form.
Click here to opt out of APUS Health and Dental coverage (during the opt-out period only).
Click here for the Brochure (summary of APUS Health & Dental plan).
Click here for the Booklet (detailed breakdown of APUS Health & Dental plan).
Click here for instructions to register for Green Shield Online Services and submit claims online.
The Basics
- Coverage
Our coverage runs for up to one year (September 1 to August 31) maximum.
- If you are registered for both the Fall and Winter sessions of the academic year, you are covered from September 1, 2022 to August 31, 2023.
- If you are registered for solely the Fall session, you are covered from September 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022.
- If you are registered for solely the Winter session, you are covered from January 1, 2023 to August 31, 2023.
- Rates
All APUS health and dental plan fees are automatically issued through your incidental fees, with the exception of senior students (see FAQ #4). Please visit ACORN for a detailed summary. Please note that APUS does not currently collect health and dental fees during the summer session and enrolment in our plans is based on registration in the Fall and Winter sessions only.
The premium rates per session for the 2022-2023 academic year are:
- Health plan – $78.07/session
- Dental plan – $60.24/session
- Both Health and Dental plans – $138.31/session
- Family/Couple Coverage
APUS members may enroll a spouse/partner and/or dependent children on their plans at the beginning of their first eligible term. All family members enrolled for coverage under this plan must be residents of Canada. For Fall only and Fall/Winter students, the opt-in period is September 1-30, 2022. For students registered for Winter only, the opt-in period is January 1-31, 2023.
To opt in your family members, please complete and submit the APUS Family Opt-in Form and arrange payment of the associated plan fees to APUS. The rates per session for the 2022-2023 academic year are:
- Health plan – $108.07/session
- Dental plan – $44.04/session
- Both Health and Dental plans – $152.11/session
- Senior Students
APUS members who are seniors (between the ages of 65 – 80) have the option of opting in to access APUS health and dental coverage. Senior students are not charged incidental fees upon registration with the University and therefore need to opt into the APUS health and/or dental plans and the APUS mandatory membership fee if they wish to access health and dental coverage.
To opt in as a senior student, please complete and submit the APUS Senior Opt-in Form and arrange payment of the plan’s fees to APUS.
- Benefits
Your 2022-2023 Plan Benefit Guide is available for download here. An overview of your coverage can be found in the 2022-2023 Brochure.
- Member Discounts
National Student Health Network Discounts
As members of the Canadian Federation of Students, our members have access to a series of health-related discounts. For details, check out the Student Discounts in the Association of Part-time Undergraduate Students’ page on the Green Shield Student Centre website here.
Dental Discount Network
Our insurance provider, Green Shield Canada, has created a network of dental providers who offer discounts to our members. You are not required to use a network dentist, but doing so can save you money. For details, check out the Student Discounts in the Association of Part-time Undergraduate Students’ page on the Green Shield Student Centre website here.
Optical Retailers
Green Shield Canada has also created a network of optical retailers who offer discounts to our members. You are not required to use a network optician, but doing so can save you money. For details, check out the Student Discounts in the Association of Part-time Undergraduate Students’ page on the Green Shield Student Centre website here.
- Government Assistance
The OHIP+ Children and Youth Pharmacare Program launched by the Ontario government allows children and youth aged 24 and younger who are not covered by a private plan to receive free prescription drugs under the Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB) Program. For more information about this program, check out: OHIP+Program.
Ontario Drug Benefit Program: For more information about the ODB Program, visit ODB-Program.
Trillium Drug Benefit: For people who spend approx. 3 to 4% or more of their after-tax household income on prescription-drug costs and who do not already qualify for the Ontario Drug Benefit. For more information, visit: TDB-Program.
- Claims
To use your APUS health and dental plans, you will need your Green Shield ID Number (or insurance policy number). This number follows the following format: APU[your student number]-00. For additional family members and dependents added on the plan, the suffix may be “-01” or “-02”.
Some health and dental providers may be able to submit claims electronically on your behalf. In this case, provide them with your policy number and they can send a claim to the insurance provider for the amount covered by the plan. You will then only need to pay the remaining balance upfront.
You may submit eligible claims online or by downloading the GSCeverywhere app. By creating an online account and submitting claims electronically you are eligible to get your money back faster. Your online account is self-serve and you will be able to review your claims history. Please click here for instructions to register for Green Shield Online Services. For more information about Greenshield Canada online services, check out: Student Claims.
- Temporary Inactive Period – Lack of Coverage in the Winter
If you are currently registered for Winter and did not take any courses in Fall, you will experience a temporary inactive period in January and February.
During this inactive period, our insurance provider processes new member information. Until this period ends, the insurance provider cannot process any claims and you cannot register for an online account. If you incur eligible expenses during this period, please keep the receipts to submit these claims once the temporary inactive period is over. As a student registered for Winter, your coverage is backdated to January 1 of the plan year.
APUS is working with Green Shield Canada to shorten the temporary inactive periods so you can access your coverage sooner.
- Opting Out of Coverage
APUS members may choose to opt out of the APUS health and/or dental coverage. In order to opt out and receive a refund of your health and/or dental premiums, you must demonstrate proof of alternative coverage (i.e. employer coverage, partner/spousal coverage, parental/guardian coverage). This proof includes the name of your insurer and policy number. Students need only to apply for an opt-out refund once per academic year in the session in which they are first registered. Once a student leaves the plan, they may only rejoin the following academic year. Opt-out refunds are typically issued by May of every year. In May, you will be receiving an email from the National Student Health Network (notify@payments.interac.ca) prompting you to accept the e-transfer. The e-transfer link expires within 30 days of receiving the email. Please feel free to contact services@apus.ca with questions.
Shortly after your opt-out request is received, GSC will send you a confirmation email with a transaction number. Please ensure you keep a copy of the email until your refund is issued in May.
Please note that for Fall-only and Fall/Winter students, the opt out period is September 1-30, 2022. For students who register for Winter only, the opt out period is January 1-31, 2023. APUS cannot make exceptions for students who do not opt-out during the stated opt-out period for the semester in which they are first eligible.
To opt out of the APUS plans, visit the Green Shield Canada Student Centre webpage here.
- Travel Insurance
The APUS plan includes emergency travel insurance for 60 days. If you are leaving the country, please make sure to review your travel insurance information in the benefit booklet and contact GSC Travel Assistance Service in advance of your departure.
GSC Travel Assistance: 1-800-936-6226 (in Canada or the United States) or call collect 1-519-742-3556 (when traveling outside of Canada and the United States).
To search for a discounted service provider, please click here.
- Out of Province Students
Since the health benefits are intended to supplement your provincial health insurance you are required to have a provincial health insurance policy.
- Continuation of Benefits after Graduation
Graduating? As a recent member of the Canadian Federation of Students, you are eligible for individual extended health and dental benefit coverage through GSC. This benefit of Federation membership will provide access to life-long coverage at a substantially lower price. For more details, click here.
- I submitted my policy number to a healthcare provider but they said my policy was ‘terminated’. What’s gone wrong?
First, check your ACORN invoice. Were your Health and Dental fees for the semester paid to APUS, or to one of the other UofT Students’ Unions? If they were paid to APUS, did you submit your Green Shield policy number APU[your student number]-00? Sometimes, students who are newly part-time don’t realise that when they went part-time, their Health and Dental plan policy number has changed. APUS members have policy numbers which begin ‘APU’, not ‘UTS’, ‘UTM’, or ‘SCU’.
If you’re still stuck, send an email explaining your situation to services@apus.ca. Don’t forget to attach a copy of your ACORN invoice.
- I opted out of the APUS Health and Dental Plan. Where’s my refund?
APUS Health and Dental Plan fees are automatically applied to the ACORN invoices of eligible students. If you opt out for the year during the September opt-out period, you will be refunded Fall’s fees in December, and Winter’s fees in April. These will be sent via e-transfer, so check your email.
If you never received an e-transfer, send an email explaining your situation to services@apus.ca. Don’t forget to attach proof (i.e. your confirmation email) of your attempt to opt-out during the appropriate window.
- My student status is changing between Fall and Winter. What happens to my Health and Dental Plan?
If you were a part-time student in Fall but you are going full-time in Winter, you will be enrolled in a Health and Dental Plan with one of the full-time Students’ Unions in January. Check out their website to learn more about your new policy.
If you opted out of the APUS Plan in Fall but are going full-time in Winter, your new Students’ Union will not automatically opt you out of their plan. You need to opt-out during their January opt-out window via their website.
Questions and Assistance
To reach a Green Shield service representative, call 1-888-711-1119 for more information on specific coverage inquiries, remaining coverage, status of claims, or other queries. You can also visit the Green Shield website.
If you are informed by the Green Shield Canada customer representative that you (or a family member) are not covered or you are denied benefits you believe you are eligible for, please contact the APUS Member Services Coordinator at services@apus.ca.
If you opted out during the opt-out period and you do not receive your opt-out refund e-transfer notification by May 1, 2023 please contact the APUS Member Services Coordinator at services@apus.ca.
For other questions, contact the APUS Member Services Coordinator at services@apus.ca.