# Need I resort to Smuggling Drugs across the Border? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 21, 2008, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-i-resort-to-smuggling-drugs-across-the-border/453678 "2008-06-21T12:05:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2008, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-i-resort-to-smuggling-drugs-across-the-border/453678/21 "2008-06-22T19:08:56Z")
[QUOTE=Spezza] I am not aware of any post-secondary education institution in Canada that does not have mandatory health insurance coverage for its students. [/QUOTE] I’m not sure if you’re understanding what I’m understanding, so let’s see if we can clarify things. I had a look at [health care at the University of Alberta](http://www.international.ualberta.ca/current/uahip.cfm) (hey, I’m an alumnus, so it came to mind first), and I found a few interesting points. First, the U of A expects all students to be covered by the provincial plan at the student’s own expense, even those that come from outside Canada. These latter, whom we’ll call “international students,” can be covered by the provincial plan if they will be studying more than 12 months. If these international students plan to study for less than 12 months, then they must purchase the University’s supplementary plan. From the above link: > [@](#): > > If you will be studying at the University of Alberta for less than 12 months (exchange or visiting students), you will be automatically enrolled in the University of Alberta Health Insurance Plan (UAHIP). Participation in this plan is mandatory for students who do not qualify for Alberta Health Care Insurance… > > UAHIP has been designed to provide equivalent coverage to Alberta Health Care Insurance. It also covers … prescription medication… > > Students assessed the UAHIP fee who have Alberta Health Care Insurance must present proof of this coverage to the International Centre before the fee deadline in each term to be exempted from UAHIP. Coverage by any insurance plan other than Alberta Health Care will not allow you to be exempted from UAHIP. See also the [UAHIP brochure](http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/uai_current/pdfs/UAHIP-Brochure.pdf) (warning: PDF) that, while lengthy, explains things pretty clearly. So yes, purchasing health insurance coverage that includes the cost of prescriptions from the University of Alberta is mandatory if: – You are not covered by Alberta Health (which does not include the cost of prescriptions) – You cannot be covered by Alberta Health due to your expected length of stay in Alberta – You are coming to U of A from outside Canada But I don’t see where the U of A is making its own health coverage plan mandatory for all students. It seems that Alberta students who are not covered by another’s supplementary plan, or who had not purchased such a plan themselves would still not have prescription coverage. Anyway, while the U of Alberta is one example of a post-secondary institution that mandates coverage for its students, expects them to be covered by a provincial plan (that does not pay for prescriptions), and will sell its own plan to those that do not qualify for a provincial plan, it doesn’t seem that _all_ students are automatically covered by the University’s prescription-paying plan. Perhaps this is the situation in which the OP finds him- or herself. ---
**Author:** ![Spezza](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Spezza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spezza)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2008, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-i-resort-to-smuggling-drugs-across-the-border/453678/22 "2008-06-22T22:56:18Z")
[QUOTE=Spoons] So yes, purchasing health insurance coverage that includes the cost of prescriptions from the University of Alberta is mandatory if: – You are not covered by Alberta Health (which does not include the cost of prescriptions) – You cannot be covered by Alberta Health due to your expected length of stay in Alberta – You are coming to U of A from outside Canada But I don’t see where the U of A is making its own health coverage plan mandatory for all students. [/QUOTE] The university is making health insurance mandatory; not necessarily its own, just some health insurance. From what you have cited, it proves that if you do not have insurance you will be automatically enrolled into the university plan - which you pay for in your student fees. I did not mean to indicate that the university insurance plans are free. I meant to indicate that health insurance is mandatory in order to be enrolled in a Canadian university, unless you can prove you have insurance from an alternate source. YMMV, but I have never attended a post-secondary institution in Canada without having to pay, in my student fees, for health insurance. Anybody manage to make it through a Canadian post-secondary institution without being covered, in some form or another, by health insurance? ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-i-resort-to-smuggling-drugs-across-the-border/453678/23 "2008-06-23T01:49:26Z")
[QUOTE=Spezza] Anybody manage to make it through a Canadian post-secondary institution without being covered, in some form or another, by health insurance? [/QUOTE] Nope - and semesters that I was taking a full course load I still needed to opt out of the health insurance plan despite the fact that I worked at the same institution full time. OP - are you a part time student? I’m also wondering why this Rx isn’t covered by your student health plan (or perhaps it’s just the principle of the thing?) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-i-resort-to-smuggling-drugs-across-the-border/453678.md?page=1)