This fall, many student unions across Canada added to their default coverage new Gender-Affirming Care (GAC) beneficts, facilitated by StudentCare, insured by Greenshield.

Generally, the point of this coverage is to cover procedures not already covered by the provinces and the Blue Cross International student coverage.

Usually, students are covered by multiple insurances. For example, here’s the coverage at McGill

Comparison of Canadian vs. International Coverage

Coverage Canadian International
Core Health Coverage Provincial Medicare (RAMQ or other) International Student Health Insurance Plan. (Provided by McGill and insured by Blue Cross)
Supplementary Health Coverage SSMU Health Plan Covered by Desjardins International Student Health Insurance Plan. (Provided by McGill and insured by Blue Cross)
Supplementary Dental Coverage SSMU Dental Plan Covered by Desjardins SSMU Dental Plan Covered by Desjardins

For McGill students, the GAC coverage was added to the dental coverage, so that international students are automatically opted in.

What does the new plan cover?

The plan will cover the following items, provided that they are not already covered by your provincial/territorial insurance or Blue Cross.

The maximum coverage per procedure is 5,000$, and the lifetime maximum is 10,000$.

Foundation (Core) Coverage

  • Transition-related genital and chest/breast surgeries not covered by your provincial/territorial health plan, as well as vocal surgery, tracheal shave, chest contouring/breast construction, vaginal dilators, laser hair removal, and facial feminization surgery.

Focused

  • Non-genital, non-breast/chest enhancement surgeries as follows: nose surgery, liposuction/lipofilling, face/eyelid lift, lip/cheek fillers, hair transplants/implants, and gluteal lifts/implants.

The plan has some serious limitations

Some of the most notable problems:

  • Max coverage of 5,000$ for any one procedure, with a lifetime maximum of 10,000$.
  • Reimbursement requires you get a Gender Dysphoria diagnosis before your procedure from a Canadian doctor or nurse practitioner.
  • All procedures must be done in Canada.
  • Doesn’t cover fertility preservation (largely covered by RAMQ and other provinces)
  • Doesn’t cover supplies needed for recovery after surgery.

Getting a gender dysphoria diagnosis at McGill

Currently, the McGill Wellness Hub has two doctors who are willing to oversee patients gender transitions.

At least the doctor who has been there longer is providing gender dysphoria diagnosis’s for this purpose. This provider told us they would not make patients come back 6 months later to confirm they still have dysphoria (as some doctors have been known to do)

Getting a gender dysphoria diagnosis at Concordia

Folks at the Centre for Gender Advocacy and the Concordia Student Union have confirmed a provider at the Health Services Clinic at Concordia can provide students with a diagnosis for the purpose of StudentCare reimbursement.

This provider has told the CSU that they would not make patients come back 6 months later to confirm they still have dysphoria (as some doctors have been known to do)

Important Notes

  • If you have been explicitly denied coverage from your province for something that is supposed to be covered by your province, this coverage will cover that too.
  • Coverage lasts year round and begins again each September, so if you graduate this spring, you’ll still be covered until September 2024
  • The coverage says laser but they mean laser and electrolysis. Electrolysis is also covered!

Want to know more?

Consult the Insurance Section of the TPU Resource Index.

Always feel free to reach out to DM or email us for one-on-one help!