How to use your Medavie Blue Cross Insurance for Mental Health at McGill
A guide for McGill international students on claiming mental health services with their Medavie BlueCross insurance.
If you're an international student at McGill, you're likely covered by the Medavie Blue Cross International Health Insurance (IHI) plan. International students and exchange students are enrolled automatically as part of their mandatory coverage. Canadian non-residents can also opt into the plan if they choose. This plan provides comprehensive health coverage, including mental health services.
How do insurance claims work in Canada?
Unlike the direct billing system common in the United States, Canada operates on a pay-first-then-claim model for private insurance:
- You pay the full cost of your appointment upfront
- Your provider gives you an official receipt
- You submit the receipt to Medavie Blue Cross
- You get reimbursed according to your coverage
This means you'll need to budget for the initial cost, but you'll get most of it back.
How much your Medavie Blue Cross covers
Your IHI plan offers generous mental-health coverage, reimbursing 80% of therapy session costs up to $3,000 per year. It also covers 80% of psychological assessment fees, with an annual maximum of $2,500.
Let's say you see a therapist who charges $160/hour (a common rate in Montreal):
- You pay: $160
- Insurance covers: $128 (80%)
- Your cost: $32 per session
With a $3,000 annual maximum, you could attend approximately 23 sessions per year with significant coverage.
Which professionals are covered?
Medavie Blue Cross covers services from these licensed mental health professionals:
- Psychologists
- Social workers
- Occupational therapists (when providing mental health services)
- Psychotherapists licensed by the OPQ (Ordre des psychologues du Québec)
What about students-in-training?
Good news: services from students-in-training can also be covered, as long as they work under the supervision of a licensed professional covered by Medavie Blue Cross. The receipt must also include the supervisor's credentials and signature.
This can be a more affordable option while still receiving quality care.
Medavie Blue Cross eligible providers
Your plan covers psychological assessments too!
While your plan does cover psychological evaluations, you should definitely keep these two things in mind. First, in Quebec, only psychologists can diagnose mental health conditions. Second, some assessments (e.g. ADHD and autism) typically cost between $1,500-$3,000. But, with 80% coverage, your out-of-pocket cost is significantly reduced.
Medavie Blue Cross psychologists offering assessments
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the provider need to be pre-registered with Blue Cross to be eligible for reimbursement?
No. The provider does not need to be pre-registered with Blue Cross for you to be reimbursed.
As long as the provider is properly licensed (e.g., psychologist, social worker, OPQ psychotherapist) and the service is covered under your plan, you can submit the claim yourself.
That said, providers who are registered with Blue Cross usually mean fewer claim issues and faster reimbursement, since their credentials are already on file. If you'd like to verify that someone is pre-approved by Blue Cross, you can do that here.
Do I need to pay for the mental health service upfront?
Yes. In most cases, you do need to pay upfront.
In Canada, mental health providers usually don't bill insurance directly. You pay the provider first, then submit the receipt to Medavie Blue Cross to get reimbursed. Direct billing is uncommon for therapy and assessments.
How do I claim?
The best way to do that is through the Blue Cross app.
About the authors
Anas Shakra
Co-founder and lead engineer at Promptd. Trained as a software engineer at McGill and Concordia, on a mission to make mental health care easier to access across Canada.
Viktoriya Manova
Co-founder of Promptd and PhD candidate in Counselling Psychology at McGill University. She is a published researcher at the McGill Mindfulness Research Lab, a SSHRC doctoral scholar, and has completed clinical training in both private practice and hospital settings. Her research and hands-on experience with clients shape the way Promptd approaches mental health content and provider information.