Janice Lozano
Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) offers a range of international insurance products, including GeoBlue, which provides travel medical insurance for individuals who are vacationing, travelling for business, studying, teaching, or living abroad. GeoBlue is available to students and teachers for long-term stays and does not require enrolment in a Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield medical plan. Blue Shield of California offers coverage for students whose principal residence is the member's permanent residence, with student guest memberships lasting one year and the option to extend for subsequent school years. Blue Shield members can also access covered services, including urgent and emergency services, worldwide through the BlueCard and Away From Home Care programs.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Coverage | Blue Cross and Blue Shield Service Benefit Plan offers worldwide coverage outside the U.S., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. |
| Pharmacy coverage | Works outside the U.S. but prescriptions must be paid out-of-pocket and then submitted for reimbursement. |
| Reimbursement | Reimbursed for claims in local currency or U.S. dollars. |
| Providers | Over 11,000 providers in the overseas network, including hospitals, clinics, doctors, and specialists. |
| BlueCard | Provides access to covered services, including urgent and emergency services, worldwide. |
| Away From Home Care Program | Offers HMO care for students, long-term travelers, and families living outside California. |
| GeoBlue | Provides travel medical insurance and helps navigate unfamiliar healthcare systems. |
| BlueCard Worldwide | Offers coverage outside the U.S. through a partnership with Bupa Global. |
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What You'll Learn
- Blue Shield of California: Coverage for students living outside of California
- BlueCard Worldwide: Coverage for Blue Cross Blue Shield customers outside the US
- GeoBlue: Travel medical insurance for students, teachers, and more
- Blue Cross Blue Shield Global: Comprehensive international medical insurance
- BlueCard Program: Access to covered services worldwide
Blue Shield of California: Coverage for students living outside of California
Blue Shield of California offers coverage for students living outside of California through its Away From Home Care Program. This program allows students who are dependents of a Blue Shield member and who live outside the plan's service area to attend school while still maintaining their principal residence at the member's permanent residence. To receive benefit coverage, these students must live in a Host Plan service area and will then receive the benefits offered by the Host Plan in the state they are visiting.
Blue Shield of California also offers coverage worldwide through its BlueCard Program. This program provides access to nearly 50,000 contracted providers in over 200 countries, with 85% of providers in the United States belonging to BlueCard's national network. Blue Shield members can use the BlueCard Program to access covered services, including urgent and emergency services, no matter where they live or travel. However, it is important to note that this program does not cover dental and vision care, or prescription drugs.
In addition to these programs, Blue Shield of California also offers student guest memberships, which are effective for one year starting in September and can be extended for subsequent school years by completing a new application.
While Blue Shield of California does provide coverage options for students living outside of the state, it is always recommended to carefully review the specific terms and conditions of any insurance plan to understand the extent of coverage, limitations, and exclusions.
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BlueCard Worldwide: Coverage for Blue Cross Blue Shield customers outside the US
Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) members may have international coverage under their plan benefits through the BlueCard Worldwide program. This program has been rebranded as Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Core, but this change does not impact existing coverage.
BlueCard Worldwide provides coverage outside of the US through the Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Core mobile app, which offers convenient access to doctors, hospitals, and resources around the world. The app also helps users find doctors, translate medical terms, and access local emergency information.
BlueCard Worldwide covers overseas provider referrals, cashless access/direct billing arrangements, emergency medical evacuations, and more. Pharmacy coverage also works outside the US, but since there are no Preferred retail pharmacies overseas, you will need to pay for your prescriptions out-of-pocket and then submit your receipts and a completed claim form for reimbursement. Overseas prescription drug claims must be submitted within one year of the purchase date.
BlueCard Worldwide has over 11,000 providers who participate in its overseas network, including hospitals, clinics, doctors, and specialists. Providers in more than 200 countries belong to the Blue Shield Global Core network, and 85% of providers in the United States belong to BlueCard's national network.
Blue Shield of California members can access coverage through the BlueCard Program, no matter where they live or travel. To locate a provider, members can go to the “Find a Doctor” tool and select the “Providers Outside of California” link under “Accessing Care Outside CA". They can also call Blue Shield Global Core Service Center at (800) 810-BLUE (2583), seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
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GeoBlue: Travel medical insurance for students, teachers, and more
GeoBlue is the trade name for the international health insurance programs of Worldwide Insurance Services, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. GeoBlue provides comprehensive travel medical insurance for individuals who are vacationing, travelling frequently for business, studying, teaching, or living abroad.
GeoBlue's travel medical insurance is part of the Blue Cross Blue Shield family, and as such, they help you navigate unfamiliar healthcare systems to ensure you get the care you need. Their coverage includes hospitalization, doctor visits, and prescriptions. They also offer a mobile app to help you find care, make appointments, receive travel alerts, and more. GeoBlue also provides emergency medical evacuation for urgent, unexpected care.
Custom plans are available for long-term stays for students and teachers, cruise line employees, and career missionaries and volunteers. GeoBlue works with participating Blue Cross and Blue Shield Companies in the U.S. to provide international health insurance plans. You do not need to be enrolled in a Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield medical plan to purchase a GeoBlue plan.
Blue Shield of California offers access to covered services wherever you are, including urgent and emergency services, through the BlueCard and Away From Home Care programs. BlueCard providers are available in over 200 countries, and 85% of providers in the United States belong to the BlueCard's national network. Students who are dependents of a Blue Shield member and who live outside the plan's service area to attend school can receive benefit coverage.
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Blue Cross Blue Shield Global: Comprehensive international medical insurance
Blue Cross Blue Shield Global provides comprehensive international medical insurance, offering worldwide health insurance solutions and services. It is a collaboration between Blue Cross Blue Shield in the US and Bupa Global outside the US, providing access to one of the largest care networks in the world.
Blue Cross Blue Shield Global provides comprehensive international medical insurance plans for US-based individuals and entities, as well as non-US-based individuals and groups. For US-based Blue Cross or Blue Shield members, international coverage is available. Blue Cross Blue Shield Global also offers GeoBlue, which provides travel medical insurance for individuals travelling outside the US. GeoBlue is also available as an independent licensee of Blue Cross Blue Shield, offering overseas coverage and peace of mind.
The GeoBlue plan is ideal for those vacationing, travelling frequently for business, studying, teaching, or living abroad. It offers custom plans that cover long-term stays for students, teachers, cruise line employees, and career missionaries or volunteers. GeoBlue provides comprehensive coverage, including hospitalisation, doctor visits, and prescriptions. It also offers a mobile app to help users find care, make appointments, receive travel alerts, and more.
For federal employees, Blue Cross and Blue Shield offer an Overseas Benefit Plan. This plan provides worldwide coverage for medical care outside the US, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. It includes features such as online claims submission, overseas provider referrals, emergency medical evacuations, and language translation services. Pharmacy coverage is also available outside the US, with reimbursement options for prescription drug claims.
Blue Shield of California offers the Away From Home Care Program, which provides coverage for members and their dependents residing outside California. This program allows students, long-term travellers, and families living apart to access HMO care when outside the plan's service area. To receive benefit coverage, members must live in a Host Plan service area while outside California.
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BlueCard Program: Access to covered services worldwide
The BlueCard Program is a healthcare program that provides access to covered services worldwide. It links Blue plans across the United States and abroad through a single electronic network for claims processing and reimbursement. The program is available to members of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, with over 90% of U.S. providers contracting with them.
The BlueCard Program offers members the same benefits as their Blue Plan when they travel or live outside their regular service area. This includes access to urgent and emergency services, as well as ongoing access to contracting hospitals and doctors. Members can find a doctor anywhere in the U.S. within the BlueCard network, and in more than 200 countries worldwide through the Blue Shield Global Core network.
To access these services, members must show their Blue Shield member ID card, which helps providers process their BlueCard claims. The ID card also provides the customer service number that members can call to find out where the program is available. Additionally, the BlueCard Program offers an online tool to instantly find where to send BlueCard claims and check the status of submitted claims.
It is important to note that the BlueCard Program is not available for certain plans, such as Medicaid, Medicare Part D, and Medicare Supplement. HMO plan members can only use the program for emergency or urgent care when travelling or away from home for less than 90 days. Members should verify their international benefits before leaving their home country and may need to purchase additional coverage, such as GeoBlue, for extended stays or specific needs.
Overall, the BlueCard Program provides members of Blue Cross and Blue Shield with access to covered services worldwide, ensuring convenience and flexibility when travelling or living abroad.
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Frequently asked questions
Blue Shield of California offers coverage to students living outside California through the Away From Home Care program. Students must live in a Host Plan service area to receive benefit coverage.
Blue Shield members can access the Away From Home Care program through the BlueCard Program. You can locate a provider by selecting the 'Providers Outside of California' link under 'Accessing Care Outside CA' on the Blue Shield website.
The BlueCard Program offers access to covered services, including urgent and emergency services, no matter where you live or travel. It has providers in over 200 countries worldwide and 85% of providers in the US are part of its national network.
If there are no BlueCard providers in the country you're visiting, you can go to any provider, pay for your healthcare services, and then submit the bill to Blue Shield of California for reimbursement. You can download an international claim form from their website.
