Students covered by the Carleton University Students’ Association’s (CUSA) health plan will now be eligible to extend their health plan coverage once they graduate and begin their job search.
The Continuum plan, insured by Sun Life Financial, covers dental, vision, emergency travel assistance, and general health needs for students formerly under CUSA’s plan, according to the plan’s website.
CUSA president Fahd Alhattab said students don’t have to take a medical questionnaire to be eligible and are only required to pay monthly.
Alhattab said the monthly option is a bonus for students who might need coverage for less than a year as they look for a job, but don’t want to have to pay for the whole year.
“When students are graduating, they’re no longer part of the student plan,” Alhattab said. “They’re not immediately getting a job where they have a health plan . . . So our goal was, how do we help graduating students to make sure that there is some sort of plan for them?”
Rates for the plan differ based on province and age, as well as the option of adding a dental plan, according to the plan’s website. The rate for Ontario graduates under the age of 34 is $125.90 per month.
The plan is more expensive than the CUSA health plan, according to Alhattab, which charges students $158 per year. This price includes dental coverage.
Alhattab said the low cost is because the Continiuum plan is a flexible individual plan where students can change the coverage to fit their specific needs.
He added the plan is not subsidized by CUSA and costs the student association nothing. Alhattab said that other universities in the country already offer this option.
“The Continuum plan has been around for 10 years—it’s not a new concept,” he said. “We discussed this year that it’s a good option to promote to students.”
All students, including graduate students who are covered by the Graduate Students’ Association (GSA) health plan, have access to their student health plans until Aug. 31 of the year they graduate, regardless of whether or not they will be returning next year.
Students must register a month before Aug. 31 of their graduating year if they wish to opt in for the CUSA Continiuum plan, according to Alhattab.
For graduate students, Greenshield, the insurance provider, offers guaranteed coverage to former students regardless of whether or not they intend to return the following year.
“Greenshield allows graduated students a regularly priced health plan . . . They are exempt from a pre-existing health condition questionnaire,” said Vincent St-Martin, the GSA’s office and communications coordinator.
Graduate students pay $298 under Greensheild’s health plan, which covers health, dental, and accidents.
Alhattab said the health plan is one of the most pivotal things that CUSA as a student association provides, and the Continiuum plan is available for those who need it.
“It’s just an opportunity for students to opt-in to a program if they require it,” he said.
