INFORMATION COLLECTED FROM THE INSTITUTION

Certain information is obtained by Studentcare from the institution or directly from the student. This is limited to the information necessary to communicate and administer the details of the International Student Plan. This information is used for the purposes outlined below.

COMMUNICATION

The name, mailing address, email address, and student identification number of every eligible registered student is obtained through the institution for the purpose of communicating important information about the International Student Plan. When information is not available from the institution, it may be requested directly from the student. This is done in order to enable students to make informed choices by notifying them of the aspects of the Plan, including how to use benefits and how to enrol dependants.

CLAIMS PROCESSING

Certain information about students who are covered under the International Student Plan is provided by Studentcare to the insurance carrier to ensure effective benefit claims administration, including:

• Name
• Student ID number
• Day and/or month and/or year of birth
• Gender
• Address (in some cases)

During the claims submission process, the insurance carrier may request that students provide certain additional information in order to verify the eligibility of a claim for health-care costs.

CONFIRMATION OF COVERAGE TO HEALTH-CARE PROVIDERS

In certain cases and at the student’s or dependant’s request, health-care providers may accept having an eligible claim assigned directly to the provider. In such cases, the provider may request that Studentcare confirm that the student is actually covered. Studentcare will confirm coverage to a health professional if the student authorizes the health professional to request such confirmation by providing their name and student number.

OPT OUTS

Students who choose to opt out of the International Student Plan will be required to provide proof of equivalent coverage. This is mandated by their educational institution. In order to satisfy the rules governing acceptable proof, information provided must clearly indicate the student’s provincial-equivalent coverage for health care, the insurance company’s name, and the policy number. If the coverage is as a dependant of a parent or guardian, then the proof provided may indicate the parent’s or guardian’s name (not necessarily the student’s).

Acceptable documents that provide the information outlined above may include:

• An image of a summary of benefits from an insurance company website
• A letter from the plan sponsor (usually the employer) or the insurance company
• An image of a Health Card that can be validated by a provincial authority

Studentcare reserves the right to confirm with the insurance provider of reference that the coverage indicated is current and equivalent to the group benefits Plan.

STUDENTCARE’S HANDLING OF INFORMATION

STORAGE OF INFORMATION

Students’ physical records are stored at our office in Montreal, Quebec. Electronic records are also stored on servers and/or electronic storage devices at this location, as well as on remote backup servers at a secure data centre in Montreal, Quebec.

We ensure the physical, organizational, and electronic security of personal information through the use of secure locks on filing cabinets and doors, restricted access to our information processing and storage areas, limited access to relevant information by authorized employees only, the use of passwords, personal identification numbers (PIN), and pass keys, and the encryption (i.e. scrambling) of electronically transmitted information.

We have strict procedures in place, following industry best practices, for destroying, deleting, or disposing of personal information when it is no longer required, to prevent unauthorized access to such personal information.

Studentcare also uses Internet firewalls for data security. They are designed to prevent unauthorized access to our computer systems from external sources. As its name suggests, a firewall is an industrial-strength combination of hardware and software designed to securely separate the Internet from our internal computer systems and databases.

For the online opt-out system, only the data required to perform the transaction is available on our web server. No unnecessary data is located outside our firewalls.

OUR EMPLOYEES’ RESPONSIBILITIES

The following types of employees may have access to students’ files in the course of their ordinary duties:

• Administrative personnel
• Customer service agents

Our employees are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of all personal information to which they have access. As a condition of employment, all employees are required to sign a confidentiality agreement binding them to this responsibility, which remains with them even if they leave our company.

We keep our employees informed about our policies and procedures for protecting personal information and regularly reinforce the importance of complying with them. All employees are also required, as a condition of employment, to conform to these policies and procedures.

STUDENTS’ ACCESS TO INFORMATION

Students can access information relating to them contained in our files, including confirmation of the existence of their file, by submitting a written and signed request accompanied by a photocopy of their student ID and a stamped, self-addressed envelope to:

Attention: Information Request
Studentcare
1200 McGill College Avenue, Suite 2200
Montreal, Quebec H3B 4G7

Studentcare will return one transcript of the information contained in our files. We may charge a reasonable fee if further copies are requested.

If, after reviewing the transcript of their file, a student wishes to rectify any errors in the file, they may mail this request, detailing the identified errors, to:

Attention: Information Correction
Studentcare
1200 McGill College Avenue, Suite 2200
Montreal, Quebec H3B 4G7

STUDENTCARE’S INTERNET POLICY

This statement outlines the privacy practices that apply to users of the Studentcare and mishp.ca websites and their use of these sites.

INFORMATION THAT STUDENTCARE COLLECTS AND TRACKS

Studentcare collects two types of information about users of this site: data that users provide through optional, voluntary participation and data that Studentcare collects through tracking information derived mainly from tallying page views throughout our site as well as from the use of third-party analytics. Such information may be used in the future to help us better understand the use of our site. Studentcare will never divulge information about an individual user to a third party (except to comply with any applicable laws).

Studentcare collects user information in the following processes:

Email/online forms
Visitors who choose to use our online forms or contact us via email are asked to provide us with personal information (such as their contact information or student number). This information is used only to contact the visitor.

Usage tracking
Studentcare tracks user traffic patterns throughout our site. The tracking is done offline using site log files, or through third-party analytics tools such as Google Analytics. Studentcare breaks down usage statistics according to a user's domain name, browser type, and MIME type by reading this information from the browser string (information contained in every user's browser). This information is used only to provide better service to our visitors.

Cookies
A cookie is a small data file that certain websites write to your hard drive when you visit them. A cookie file can contain information such as a user ID that the site uses to track the pages you've visited. However, the only personal information a cookie can contain is information you supply yourself. A cookie can't read data off your hard disk or cookie files created by other sites. Studentcare uses cookies to identify repeat visitors to our site in order to provide them with a better level of service.

If you've set up your browser to warn you before accepting cookies, you will receive the warning message with each cookie. You can refuse cookies by turning them off in your browser. You do not need to have cookies turned on to use the Studentcare or mishp.ca sites.

USE OF THE INFORMATION

Studentcare uses any information voluntarily given by our users to enhance their experience of the site (to better prepare future content based on the interests of our users or to provide repeat visitors with better service based on their previous experience of our site).

As stated above, Studentcare uses information that users voluntarily provide in order to enhance the quality of the assistance they may receive upon returning to our site.

Studentcare may create reports on user traffic patterns.

SHARING OF THE INFORMATION

Studentcare does not share information collected about individual users with any third party, except with a user's express consent. (Studentcare will divulge information as necessary to comply with applicable laws.)

MISHP.CA

The use of mishp.ca, our web-based dependant enrolment and coverage confirmation system, requires users to accept the following terms of use due to the sensitive nature of certain information on that system:

We take great care to ensure that the use of this website and the services available through the website are safe and secure.

I authorize Studentcare to accept my personal identification number (PIN) or birth date and student number as equivalent to my signature to access the mishp.ca system and for any subsequent requests (e.g. clicking the “submit request” button).

I recognize that Studentcare, in order to protect the confidential nature of my information contained on this system, will monitor and record all transactions which occur on this system, including but not limited to information from the originating computer.

Studentcare has implemented sophisticated security features on this website, which include both a hardware and software component. I agree to access the system using a web browser which supports, at a minimum, a 40-bit encryption key.

I acknowledge that I will never be asked for my personal identification number (PIN) via email by anyone from Studentcare.

I recognize the confidential nature of my PIN and agree not to disclose it to anyone else. In addition, after completing a transaction, I agree to clear my cache or turn off and restart my browser. Should I undertake any transaction at the office of Studentcare, those transactions will supersede any that I undertake on this system.

I agree not to send messages to Studentcare by email which contain any personal information, as they are outside areas of the website using encryption.

I agree to supply Studentcare with a valid email address, at which it is authorized to contact me regarding my International Student Plan status and any other important reminders. If I do not, I will be held responsible for any information that I neglect to respond to or take action from. This may include communication about incomplete or ineligible transactions and/or important deadlines.

Use of mishp.ca is on a voluntary basis.

If Studentcare decides to change its privacy policy, we will post those changes on this page so you are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances we disclose it.