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iMED: Health insurance for new international students
iMED
iMED is a temporary basic health insurance plan required as a condition of registering as an international student. It covers all new international students.
iMED is provided at a low cost for the three-month waiting period before you qualify for the BC Medical Services Plan (MSP) or for the duration of your study term if you are a one-term exchange student. Once you register for your first class, the iMED fee will be assessed to your student account and you will be covered from the coverage starting date for the term you register. An email from UBC will be sent to you about iMED coverage.
Your iMED card will be sent to you via email from the iMED provider, David Cummings Insurance Services. Print it and keep it with you at all times. If you do not receive your card, contact David Cummings Insurance Services.
David Cummings Insurance Services
Email: info@david-cummings.com
Phone: 604.228.8816
Toll-free (North America only): 1.800.818.3188
With your iMED card, you don’t have to pay for your visit if you see a doctor at the Student Health Service at UBC or the University Village Medical & Dental Clinic in the Village on campus, however, you will pay for any diagnostic test that is ordered by a doctor there, so keep the receipt and submit a claim on the iMED website later. You can see a doctor in any other clinic or hospital in BC but you may be required to pay up front. You must keep the receipts in order to make a claim to get reimbursed. Instructions on how to submit claims and how to download claim forms are available on the iMED website.
Medical benefits cover emergency hospitalization and medical services (including out-patient treatment at a doctor's clinic) for an unexpected sickness or injury. The full policy is available on the iMED website.
iMED costs $120 for the first three months, or $170 if you are a one-term exchange student.
One-term exchange students are covered for the four-month term as follows:
Winter Session Term 1
August 29, 2011 – January 4, 2012
Winter Session Term 2
December 28, 2011 – May 3, 2012
All other new international students are covered for the three-month waiting period before they become eligible for MSP. This waiting period includes the remainder of the month you arrive in BC plus two full months. For example, if you arrived in BC on August 25, you would be eligible for MSP on November 1.
iMED will ensure that you have adequate medical coverage from the time you leave home (up to 10 days prior to your arrival in Canada), with the earliest arrival date in Canada being:
- August 1 for Winter Session Term 1
- December 1 for Winter Session Term 2
- April 1 for Summer Session Term 1
- June 1 for Summer Session Term 2
Changing Coverage Dates
If you arrive in BC the month after the dates indicated above, you can ask to have your coverage dates shifted to include your three-month waiting period for MSP. If you are a one-term exchange student, you cannot change the dates; however, you can purchase additional days of coverage, as needed. To do so, follow the instructions provided at David Cummings Insurance Services.
You can download the Date Change Form from the iMED website
If you arrive in BC before the iMED coverage start date, you can change your coverage dates by applying for Advance coverage. To do so, you need to download the Advance Coverage Application Form from the iMED website. You will directly purchase iMED from David Cummings Insurance Services (DCIS) and the iMED fee on your student account will be removed after DCIS confirms your advance coverage with UBC.
Deadline: You must submit any date changes by the end of the third week of classes.
Opting out of iMED
Only the following students can opt out of iMED:
- Students already covered by iMED or MSP before iMED coverage starts
- Students covered by another Canadian provincial health plan
- Students whose tuition is sponsored by a third party (such as the Government of Canada, or the Canadian Bureau for International Education) and whose sponsor requires and provides mandatory health insurance
- Students who have become Canadian permanent residents with Canadian provincial health insurance before iMED coverage starts (August 1 for Winter Term 1 and December 1 for Winter Term 2)
Please note that having private insurance from your home country does not make you eligible to opt out of iMED.
If you have MSP or any other Canadian provincial health plan, use the DCIS Opt Out Form and fax the completed form with supporting documents to David Cummings Insurance Services at 604.228.9807, or apply to opt out online.
If you have health insurance purchased for you by a UBC-recognized sponsor, download the UBC iMED Opt Out Form and hand in the completed form with supporting documents to the International House front desk or fax to 604.822.5099.
Deadline: You must submit your Opt-Out Request Form by the end of the third week of classes if you are registering for classes during the Winter Session. If you register for Summer Session terms, the deadline is the end of the first week of classes
Adding your family members
Your spouse, partner, or dependant children can also be covered by David Cummings Insurance Services for the duration of their stay, or until they qualify for MSP. Your family members' insurance is not administered by UBC, but you can purchase iMED for them directly through David Cummings Insurance Services. More information is available on the iMED website.
Please be aware of the following iMED policy:
if you are enrolled into iMED and also add your family member(s) to your iMED account, you cannot opt out or cancel your iMED unless you withdraw your family from the iMED plan (or advanced coverage if you purchased) before the coverage becomes effective.
Extending your coverage
If you are going to stay in Canada for less than six months, you may choose to extend your iMED coverage with David Cummings Insurance Services, or you may wish to continue with another health insurance provider.
Deadline: You must submit your withdrawal and refund requests by the end of the third week of classes.
Changing your registration status
Any iMED fee charged to your account will be frozen on the last day to withdraw from classes without a Withdrawal-standing (a "W" on your transcript). The last day to withdraw from classes can be found on the UBC Academic Year. If you withdraw from UBC or defer to the next term after that date, the iMED fee will not be removed and you will be required to pay for it.
If you withdraw from UBC or defer to next term after that date and you were not in Canada at any time during the iMED coverage period, contact I. House at 604.822.5021 or email international.house@ubc.ca to request that your iMED fee be removed from your account. The request must be received before the end of the third week of classes.
Making a claim
Bring a claim form with you when you go to a doctor's office or walk-in clinic. (The iMED claim form can be printed from the iMED website.) Ask the doctor to complete the claim form. If you pay for a doctor's visit and do not have the doctor complete the claim form, you may complete it yourself. Just describe the reason for your visit and the diagnosis that the doctor gave. If you want to make a claim or have any questions, call MSH INTERNATIONAL at 1.866.767.5928.
If you are admitted to a hospital room, you must call TIC Emergency Assistance (open 24 hours) at 1.800.995.1662 immediately, or as soon as reasonably possible. You may ask your doctor or nurse to call for you if you are not able to.
If you intend to have a test or medical procedure done at a hospital, call MSH INTERNATIONAL at 1.866.767.5928 before the test or procedure to get proper authorization.
You should present a photocopy of your study permit and ask for the uninsured resident rate when going to the lab, radiology, or emergency departments or when paying for hospital services.
For more information, visit the iMED website. For unanswered questions, email isa@students.ubc.ca.
Ensuring you have iMED coverage
You should be automatically enrolled in iMED coverage when you register in UBC courses. To ensure that you are enrolled, follow these steps:
1. Log into the Student Service Centre
2. Under the Finances tab, click Financial Summary
3. Along the left menu, click Tuition & Fees.
This will open up a break down of the fees you are paying (see image below for sample). If you are enrolled, you will see "IMED" or "IMD1" and a charge of $120 (or $170 if you are a one-term exchange student.) If you do not see this fee, contact an International Student Advisor for assistance.
