International Student Health Insurance

Name of plan: guard.me@MITT

• guard.me@MITT Benefit Summary Brochure [PDF]
• guard.me@MITT Insurance Policy [PDF]

Your guard.me healthcare access card will indicate your specific coverage start and end dates. The following information is to be used as a general guideline only.

Coverage Start Date

Generally, coverage starts on your program start date, however you must have arrived in Canada for coverage to take effect.

If you arrive in Canada before coverage begins, you may buy additional coverage for you and your family members by emailing partnerservices@guard.me or by accessing your online guard.me account, click on ‘Early Arrivals.’ This will be a different insurance plan than the one offered through MITT. Please indicate when your MITT coverage will start when purchasing this coverage. You will need your MITT policy number to help guard.me set up the right coverage period. To get early access to your policy number, please submit a completed International Student Health Insurance Plan Early Enrolment Request Form [PDF].

Coverage End Date

Your coverage end date will be indicated on your healthcare access card.  guard.me will send you an email approximately 30 days before your coverage end date notifying you of the upcoming end date. For your consideration, they will also provide information and instructions related to purchasing insurance directly from them. Click here to see the guard.me Recent Graduates webpage.

To help ensure you receive this important communication, please ensure your email address is updated in your Student Portal Account.

Break In Studies

Coverage for 2 Year Programs

If you are attending a 2-year program your coverage is extended to include the break period between years 1 and 2. In year 1, you will be assessed for 13 months of coverage, and in year 2, you will be assessed for the remaining coverage period.

Gap Students

If you are taking one term off (i.e. fall or winter or spring) and returning to school after the break, you may be eligible to buy coverage online for the gap period between terms. This will be a different insurance plan than the one offered through MITT.

You have only 30 days from the expiry date of your latest guard.me policy to apply for coverage for the gap period. If you miss the deadline, you will not be eligible to apply for coverage for the gap period.

Please be aware that breaks in studies may render some coverage invalid. Contact customercare@guard.me to ask specific questions about coverage.

If you are an English Language Institute student, your length of coverage will depend on the number of levels you are taking. The number of levels you are taking can be found in your Letter of Acceptance (LOA).

Coverage dates and periods will vary due to:

• scheduled breaks (i.e. winter break, spring break)
• gaps between an ELI program and a post-secondary program.

Although we strive to provide continuous coverage during your enrolment with MITT, it is your responsibility to pay attention to coverage dates and, if required, purchase additional coverage for breaks in coverage. You may purchase additional coverage directly from guard.me. For more information, contact guard.me.

The information on this website highlights some coverage benefits, but it is not a comprehensive list.

Important coverage details are found in the policy document available through your online guard.me account.

It is your responsibility to review and refer to the policy document for a complete understanding of your coverage. You may also request a copy of the policy document by emailing international.health@mitt.ca.

Prior Approval

Prior approval is required for certain benefits, and limitations and exclusions may apply. For example, pregnancy coverage is limited to students who became pregnant 60 days or less prior to the program start date or while attending classes.

This plan does not provide coverage in your home country. You may want to purchase additional coverage when travelling outside of Manitoba or Canada.

Coverage

Please carefully consider the following information as you make decisions about what level of care is best for your health and wellbeing.

You can continue your routine care and monitoring of existing and chronic conditions by making appointments at a clinic or with your family doctor. You are also covered for new illness or injury and may visit a clinic, your family doctor, or hospital to receive care.

Your plan provides access to medical services for:

• routine health care needs including annual exam/physical, cold, flu, pregnancy (coverage limitations), etc.
• existing, chronic or new illnesses such as diabetes, etc.
• serious illness including sudden and severe sickness, food poisoning, etc.
• emergency incidents and accidents including broken bones, cuts needing stitches, heart attack, etc.
• vaccination coverage (for vaccines required by MITT for student programs only)
• non-emergency dental care (minimum 6 months enrolment required)
• non-emergency vision care
• additional non-emergency paramedical services
• prescription medication coverage (including contraception)

If required by your course of studies/program, charges for immunizations, including tuberculosis (TB) testing, are covered to a maximum ($500 for 24/25 year).

Flu vaccines/shots are not covered by the guard.me health insurance plan. However, as per the Government of Manitoba Seasonal Flu webpage, international students and out-of-province visitors are eligible to receive the flu vaccine free-of-charge regardless of third-party insurance and/or Manitoba Health coverage (an administration fee may be charged).

• Students up to 64 years of age is $2.75 per day
• Students 65 to 69 years of age is $5.75 per day
• Students 70 years of age or older are not eligible for this plan and should purchase individual insurance on their own

We will automatically charge all international students who are up to and including 69 years of age for an individual-coverage plan. This cost is non-refundable.

Health insurance costs by program are available on our Tuition & Fees webpage.

Your Individual cost can be viewed your Student Portal Account.

Once you are enrolled in the health insurance plan and have access to your online guard.me account, you may purchase the same health insurance plan for your family members and dependants. We strongly encourage you to do this.

If you choose to purchase this optional coverage, you must do so within 30 days of your family member or dependant’s arrival in Canada. Proof of travel dates is required.

To purchase, sign in to your online guard.me account and choose ‘Dependant’ or email partnerservices@guard.me

If you do not yet have access to your online guard.me account, please complete the International Student Health Insurance Plan Early Enrolment Request Form.

You may purchase supplemental health insurance coverage privately through other insurance providers for items not included in the guard.me plan.

Enrolment

Although your coverage starts on your program start date, you will be enrolled in the health insurance plan approximately 3 weeks after your program start date. You will have access to your online guard.me account once you are enrolled.

Once enrolled, guard.me will send you an email containing:

• a link and a temporary password to access your online guard.me account
• your policy number
• healthcare access card (pdf)
  • You may print the pdf version of your healthcare access card and/or download it as an electronic version to your phone or computer.
  • If your information on your card is incorrect, email international.health@mitt.ca. Be sure to provide your student number, first and last name, program, start date and correct email address.

guard.me will email you using the email address recorded in your Student Portal Account, so it is important to ensure your email address is correct and kept up-to-date. To view or update your email address, log-in to your Student Portal Account and choose ‘Edit Profile.’

Early Enrolment

If you would like to request early enrolment to allow for early access to your online account, please complete an International Student Health Insurance Plan Early Enrolment Request Form.

Healthcare Access Card Not Yet Received

If your classmates have received the guard.me email containing the pdf of their healthcare access card but you haven’t:

• Check that your email address is correct in your Student Portal Account. If your email address is not correct, please update it in your Student Portal Account and send us an email to international.health@mitt.ca so we can reach out to guard.me with the correction.
• Check your email junk and trash folders
• Try searching your email for "guard.me".
• Inform us you have not received your letter by emailing international.health@mitt.ca Be sure to provide your student number, first and last name, program, start date and correct email address.

If you have not yet received your healthcare access card and need to seek urgent or emergent medical attention, see our Urgent/Emergency Medical Attention section.

Issues Accessing Your Online guard.me Account

Go to your online guard.me account and enter your personal email address (as listed in your Student Portal Account), then enter the password provided in an email by guard.me.

You may request to opt-out of the guard.me health insurance plan if you can provide proof of valid Manitoba Health coverage (provided by the government of Manitoba). Alternate plans will not be considered, and cannot be used to opt out of the plan.

  OR

Generally, you will only be eligible for Manitoba Health coverage if you are the spouse or minor child (under 18 years of age) of a work permit holder (permit validity periods apply). Click here for more information on Manitoba Health coverage eligibility.

If you have Manitoba Health coverage, and choose to opt-out of the guard.me health insurance plan, it is important to note:

• You are responsible for ensuring your Manitoba Health coverage is valid for the entire duration of your studies at MITT
• MITT is not liable in situations where a student does not have health coverage because they chose to opt-out using a Manitoba Health card that is or becomes expired
• Once you choose to not participate in the guard.me health insurance plan, you may not be eligible for re-enrollment in the plan until the next program year (if applicable).

Submission of a second opt-out request form is required:

• Before starting Year 2 of a two-year post-secondary program
• If your English for Academic Purposes (EAP) studies are extended
• When starting a post-secondary program after completing an EAP program

2024-2025 (Fall 2024, Winter 2025, Spring 2025)

2024-2025 (Fall 2024, Winter 2025, Spring/Summer 2025)

Are you considering opting out of the guard.me insurance plan because you have been approved for Manitoba Health coverage? Before submitting an opt-out request, we encourage you to review the guard.me benefit summary brochure [PDF] as in some cases the guard.me plan offers coverage not offered through Manitoba Health. Having both plans may be right for you.

Opt-Out Request Instructions

Submit the following:

1. International Student Health Insurance Plan Opt-Out Request Form by the appropriate opt-out deadline as indicated in the Opt-Out Deadlines sections
   and
2. A copy of your Manitoba Health Card (required supporting document) 
   and
3. A copy of the ‘pink slip’ or a coverage letter that indicates the Manitoba Health coverage start date expiry date (required supporting document)

OR 

Submission of Required Supporting Documents

Within 30 days of program start date: we will review your request and supporting documents and provide you with a response by email. Only those requests received by the opt-out deadline, and with all required supporting documents, will be considered for full removal from the plan.

More than 30 days after program start date: If your required supporting documents remain incomplete you will be automatically enrolled in the health plan. If you receive Manitoba Health coverage after being enrolled in the health plan, you may request a partial refund. The refund will be pro-rated according to the date we received a copy of your Manitoba Health card, and will not be backdated to the start date listed on the card. If you have made a claim on your guard.me insurance plan, you will be ineligible for any partial refund.

Unfortunately, if your Opt-Out Request Form is received after the deadline, or if you are unable to provide the required supporting documents, your opt-out request will be cancelled and you will be enrolled in the guard.me plan.

If your opt-out request is approved, the approved refund amount (credit) will be posted to your fee statement in your Student Portal Account.

If you receive a credit, please complete the appropriate Refund Request Form (found on our Official Document Request and Forms webpage). Refunds may take 6 to 10 weeks to process.

mobileDOCTOR

mobileDOCTOR by guard.me allows you to connect with Canadian doctors on Maple, a telemedicine company, as a part of your health benefits.

Maple provides access to doctors, Canada wide, on your phone, tablet or computer anytime, anywhere.

Seeing a doctor on Maple is safe and reliable, and can help prevent the need to go to a walk-in clinic or emergency room.

A Maple doctor will respond to your request for a consultation in minutes. You can have your consultation by text, video, or audio chat

When outside of Canada the mobileDOCTOR service connects you to a Canadian doctor in real time and remains available 24/7 for advice purposes only.

The doctors can diagnose injuries and illnesses, write prescriptions, and provide lab requisitions, all within your consultation. Please note that only eligible prescriptions and lab requisitions are covered by guard.me and can only be provided if you are in Canada.

For information on how to use moblieDOCTOR, visit the mobileDOCTOR webpage.

Winnipeg Regional Health Authority

Clinic, urgent care, or emergency – where do you go? Use the following website to learn how to find the right health care services for you.

www.wrha.mb.ca/myrightcare/

The site also provides:

• Descriptions of and wait times for walk-in clinics, urgent care centres, and emergency departments
• Help in finding a family doctor
• Sick or injured child information

Find A Service Provider

To review a list of service providers, go to your guard.me account and choose ‘Find a Canadian Clinic.’ You can then choose ‘Use My Location’ or type in your Winnipeg address and click Submit.

This site also indicates services providers who will bill guard.me directly, meaning you will not be required to pay for some or possibly all of your eligible service costs at the time of receipt of service.

You are not required to pay before receiving urgent/emergency treatment, however you must contact guard.me within 24 hours of being admitted to the hospital or as soon as reasonably possible:

• 1-888-756-8428 (Toll-Free North America)
• 1-905-731-8291 (Collect)

You can receive urgent/emergent medical attention at a hospital, even if you have not yet received your healthcare access card. You may be required to sign a right of responsibilities document. By signing this document, you agree to accept and pay for treatment costs.

After treatment, the hospital will provide you with an invoice for the cost of your services.

Email us at international.health@mitt.ca to inform us you have an invoice for urgent/emergency medical services. Include your name, student number, and birthdate. We will work with guard.me to ensure you receive your healthcare access card as soon as possible.

Once you receive your healthcare access card, you can submit the invoice to guard.me for payment of eligible/covered expenses.

Direct Billing

Many services providers will bill guard.me directly, meaning you will not be required to pay for some or possibly all service costs at the time of receipt of service. To review a list of service providers that offer direct billing, go to your guard.me account and choose ‘Find a Canadian Clinic.’ You can then choose ‘Use My Location’ or type in your Winnipeg address and click Submit.

Invoice Billing

Some service providers will bill you by invoice, which can be submitted to guard.me, and they will pay the service provider. This means you will not be required to pay for some or possibly all service costs at the time of receipt of service.

Payment and Reimbursement

In some cases, you will be required to pay for some or all service costs at the time of receipt of service. You may then submit a claim to guard.me for reimbursement. You may submit reimbursement claims once your coverage is active and you’ve received access to your guard.me account.

MITT will only provide guard.me with your information that is required to administer your insurance plan. This includes your:

• Student number
• Student status
• First and last names
• Date of birth
• Gender identity (male, female, or other)
• Country of origin
• Start and end date
• Email address

guard.me will communicate with you using the email address recorded in your Student Portal Account, so it is important to ensure your email address is correct and kept up-to-date. To view or update your email address, log-in to your Student Portal Account and choose ‘Edit Profile.’

Your relationship and file with guard.me is personal and private. MITT will not advocate for your coverage or individual needs with guard.me.

In extremely limited cases, and only upon your request and consent, MITT may discuss your care with guard.me.

guard.me will share information with MITT about overall student use of this plan. Your personal service use information will not be shared.

If, after reviewing the information on this webpage, you have questions, please:

• Access your online guard.me account
• Call guard.me at 1 888 756 8428
• Email your questions and policy number to guard.me at customercare@guard.me
• Email your questions and your full name, student number, program of study, and start date to international.health@mitt.ca