GSA Health and Dental Plan

All Alberta residents are covered by the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP), but additional costs related to healthcare, as well as costs related to dental care, vision care, and travel insurance are not part of AHCIP. These costs are often covered by insurance offered by an employer, a parent/guardian, or a partner. 

Graduate students at the University of Alberta have this coverage provided to them by the GSA, via the GSA Health and Dental Plan. The GSA negotiates the details of your Health and Dental plan, which is provided by Studentcare. The cost of this plan is automatically assessed as a non-instructional fee for all full-time registered graduate students.

Change-of-Coverage Period

To enrol your partner, children, and other dependants, or if you are a part-time graduate student seeking to opt in to this plan, you must do so during the Change-of-Coverage period. For graduate students who are beginning their program in Fall 2023, this period is 1-28 September 2023. For graduate students who are beginning their program in Winter 2024, this period is 3-24 January 2024. 

History of the Plan

Established by referenda in 1994 and 2002, the GSA Health and Dental Plan is a valuable service to GSA members designed to fill the gaps in government health care. 

The fee for the GSA Health and Dental Plan is set annually by GSA Council based on cost projections rooted in claims from the previous years (as with all insurance programs, claims drive the cost of the GSA Health and Dental Plan). GSA members with alternate, comparable health and/or dental coverage can opt out of the GSA Health and/or Dental Plan.

Cost

For students beginning their program in the Fall term, the cost for full-year coverage (1 September 2022 – 31 August 2023) is $525.68.

Other pricing information, including the plan cost for students beginning their program in the Winter term and additional information about the cost for enrolled spouse, children, and dependents can be found on the Studentcare website