Whether your employees are traveling across the country or overseas, they’ll want to know how to get care if they need it. Help them plan ahead and learn how to access their employer travel insurance coverage—so they’ll have peace of mind, wherever they go.
Get them ready to go
Before they depart, your employees should understand their health coverage. Encourage them to sign in at regence.com (or create an account if they don’t have one already) and review their benefits. If they have questions, they can chat with us online or call us at the number on the back of their member ID card.
With the Regence app, employees have easy access to their health plan while they’re away. They can find doctors in their network, pull up their virtual member ID card and have all their health insurance details right at their fingertips.
Regence health plans include BlueCard®, which means your employees have access to the largest network of doctors and hospitals throughout the country (92% of all physicians and 96% of all hospitals nationwide).
All Regence plans come with urgent and emergency BlueCard coverage. Depending on their plan, your employees may also be able to see local BlueCard providers for non-emergency issues. If they want to find out about specific BlueCard coverage, they can sign in to their account and chat with us online or call us at the number on the back of their member ID card.
To find a doctor, hospital or clinic when away from home, employees can use Find a Doctor on regence.com or the Regence app. They’ll need to sign in first, so their results will be in-network. They can also call 1 (800) 810-BLUE at any time (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) or use the National Doctor and Hospital Finder to find network doctors.
When they arrive at the doctor’s office or hospital, they’ll need to present their member ID card. That way, after they receive care, they shouldn’t need to complete any claims forms or pay up front for any services outside the usual out-of-pocket expenses. Later, they’ll receive an explanation of benefits (EOB) from Regence as usual.
When traveling in the U.S., your employees can access virtual care. It’s a convenient and affordable option. They can visit with a doctor and get a diagnosis, treatment plan and prescription sent to the nearest pharmacy. And with Regence Advice24, they can talk to a nurse and get guidance anytime.
Blue Cross Blue Shield Global® Core is a program that puts employees in contact with health care professionals, hospitals and medical assistance when traveling or living outside the United States, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands.
Prior to travel, employees should call Regence Customer Service to get information about their international coverage. They can also contact Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Core or download their app to see if there’s an in-network hospital at their destination. If they present their member ID card when getting care, they shouldn’t need to pay up front for inpatient services in most cases.
For outpatient care or care that isn’t arranged through Global Core, they may need to pay the doctor or hospital up front. After paying, they’ll want to complete an international claim form and send it to the Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Core Service Center.
International travel checklist
If employees are traveling to a different country, here are ways they can prepare in case they need to seek care:
Reviewing the U.S. State Department website for any alerts or warnings for the area where they’re headed is always wise. If there’s time before their trip, they may want to subscribe to STEP alerts to read any notices from the U.S. Embassy in their destination.
Additional international coverage
If your business travel insurance doesn’t include international coverage, employees can always purchase additional travel medical insurance or medical evacuation insurance through companies like GeoBlue®. They have single-trip, multi-trip and long-term options for world travelers and expats.
Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Core and GeoBlue are not Regence companies.
Regence Advice24 is not insurance but is offered in addition to your medical plan to help you get information and support when you need it.