Health Plans
Society of Graduate Students (SOGS) - Supplemental Health Plan
Extended health insurance benefits are provided automatically for full-time graduate students provided they are covered by their provincial health plan or equivalent (e.g. UHIP). The fee for the health plan is included in the student activity fees for each term.
The SOGS health plan has grown to include basic dental care and expanded vision coverage. By paying an additional family coverage fee, you can enrol your spouse or partner, of either the same or opposite sex, who is publicly represented as a "spouse", and any children under 21 years of age (25 if they are still attending school).
For more information, please visit SOGS - Benefits.
Graduate Teaching Assistants Extended Health Plan
The purpose of the Graduate Teaching Assistants Extended Health Plan is to supplement your other health care plan(s) like SOGS, UHIP, OHIP, etc. The GTA Union administered Health Plan provides flexible coverage. This plan will continue to operate on a rebate system whereby you pay for your health care related costs and submit them to the Union for a rebate. For more information visit the GTA union site.
Ontario Health Insurance Plan and University Health Insurance Plan
The Ontario government sponsors basic health care under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP), paid through income taxes. Information on OHIP can be found here.
Generally, there is a three-month waiting period for Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) coverage. It applies to most new residents and former residents returning to Ontario. This waiting period applies under three circumstances:
(1) If you move to Ontario from another country
The waiting period begins on the date you establish or re-establish residence in Ontario. If you are an eligible temporary resident, such as a foreign worker who meets the citizenship and residence requirements described in Ontario's Health Insurance Act, the waiting period begins on the date you establish residence in Ontario. Your coverage begins when the waiting period ends - after three calendar months.
(2) If you move to Ontario from another province or territory where you had provincial/territorial health insurance coverage
If you move to Ontario directly from another province and apply for coverage, your OHIP coverage will begin on the first day of the third month after establishing residence in Ontario, provided you were insured in your previous province or territory. Your valid health card from your former province will continue to provide you with health insurance coverage in accordance with that province/territory's plan during the waiting period.
NOTE: You have the option of purchasing health insurance for you and your family through the University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP) until the end of your three-month OHIP waiting period. For more information on UHIP, please visit International & Exchange Student Centre - UHIP or University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP).
(3) If you move to Ontario from another province or territory where you did not have provincial/territorial health insurance coverage
If you are an uninsured person moving to Ontario from another Canadian province or territory and are eligible for OHIP, you will be subject to a waiting period lasting three full months. Your Ontario health insurance coverage would become effective three full months after establishing permanent residence in Ontario.
Important Information For International Students
International students are not eligible for coverage under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP). Because of this, Ontario universities have developed a mandatory health care package for international students and their dependents, titled University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP). UHIP offers many of the same benefits as OHIP. It is important that international students thoroughly read all guidelines surrounding this coverage and understand the details of the plan.
For more information, please visit International & Exchange Student Centre - UHIP or University Health Insurance Plan.
