Foreign Health Insurance

Important changes to Foreign Health Insurance Coverage and Opt Out Policies effective Fall 2026

Beginning in Fall 2026, there are two important changes to Memorial University’s international student health insurance.

  1. The cost of Foreign Health Plan A is increasing.

    All registered international students are automatically enrolled in the university’s Foreign Health Plan A (previously referred to as Foreign Health), provided by GuardMe. In Fall 2026, the cost of Plan A (GM Enhanced @ Memorial) will increase from $261.59 per semester to $273.75 per semester.

    This rate increase reflects the addition of Gender Affirming Care Benefits to the existing coverage. The enhanced coverage will cover healthcare services and medical interventions that help align a person's physical characteristics with their gender identity.

  2. A New Foreign Health Plan B is being introduced.

    Full-time students can choose to opt out of Foreign Health Plan A after becoming eligible for MCP (Newfoundland and Labrador’s provincial health insurance) and enrolling in the student union’s health/dental plan.

    Beginning in Fall 2026, these students will automatically be enrolled in Foreign Health Plan B.

    Plan B (GM PLUS Canada) costs $104.60 per semester and provides emergency coverage for students that is not available through MCP or the student union plans, including:
    1. Emergency coverage while travelling outside of Newfoundland and Labrador
    2. Repatriation and family transportation benefits
    3. Protection in the event of a lapse in MCP coverage

This helps ensure students continue to have important emergency coverage after opting out of Plan A.

Why are these changes being made?

These updates respond to student feedback and help address gaps in coverage by:

  • Adding gender-affirming care benefits to Plan A
  • Ensuring students who opt out of Plan A still have important emergency coverage through Plan B

Questions?

If you have questions about your foreign health insurance coverage, please connect with the Internationalization Office by emailing international@mun.ca or booking an appointment with an advisor.

Students are also welcome to connect with GuardMe’s customer care team as per the connect details available on their website.

All registered international students are automatically enrolled in the Foreign Health Insurance plan.

About your foreign health insurance
  • You are only enrolled if you are a registered student. If you are not registered in Fall, you will not  be enrolled but can purchase coverage directly through provider. 
  • The current provider of the foreign health insurance is GuardMe.
  • There are two foreign health plans:
    • Plan A (GM Enhanced @ Memorial) is automatically charged to all registered international students. Plan A costs $273.75/semester.
    • Plan B (GM PLUS Canada) is automatically charged to registered international students who opt out of Plan A based on holding a valid MCP. Plan B costs $104.60/semester.
  • Coverage dates align with the semester. For example, coverage for Fall is September 1 to December 31.
  • Your policy ID is emailed to your @mun.ca account the end of the first month of every semester by the insurance provider, GuardMe International.
  • For information on coverage and making a claim, you can log into the insurance providers website using your policy ID.
    • Be sure to check out Guard Me’s services such as Mobile Doctor and GM Student Support Progam.
Who is not covered and how to opt in
  • Automatic coverage does not apply to:
    • Dependents of students
    • Post docs or visiting scholars/faculty
    • Student on a leave of absence, academic suspension or otherwise not registered
  • For information on opting into the Foreign Health Insurance, click here.
Who can opt out
  • If you are studying outside of Canada, you must opt out of the foreign health insurance (if you are a graduate student, you may also need to opt out of GSU dental, see www.gsumun.ca) 
  • If you obtain public health care offered through the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador called MCP you might be eligible to opt out of Foreign Health Plan A and transfer to your student union managed health plan PLUS Foreign Health Plan B.
    • For information on MCP visit this website.
  • Having alternate coverage (with the exception of those outlined) does not make you eligible to opt out.
  • For information on opting out of the foreign health insurance, click here.
If you have questions about foreign health insurance