Blue Cross Health Insurance
Health Insurance Blue Cross and Blue Shield:
Health care is the single largest segment of the economy in the United States. Advancement in science and technology , especially in the filed of Human medicine have improved the quality of medicare and quality of life and saved lives as well.
All these advancements and developments come with a price. The expenditure on health care during 2003 exceeded that on food, housing and national defense. Affordable health care has become a key issue today, to be addressed with great application of knowledge and by making cost effective choices about our health care.
Uninsured Americans represent a diverse population. There are a wide variety of
reasons for their not having health coverage. The prime and foremost reason being the mounting cost of health care which keeps health care out of bounds of a section of American population.
Blue Cross Blue Shield started a sustained campaign to help keep quality health care affordable. A variety of programs launched by Blue Cross Blue Shield will monitor the ongoing impact of rising health care costs and offer solutions on how well to manage our health care expenditure.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield takes care of all kinds of our health care requirements across the country as well as around the world though a variety of its plans.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans give access to doctors and hospitals almost everywhere and one can be quite comfortable and confident about the health care one needs.
A few of the products of Blue Cross and Blue Shield and their features are as follows :
I -The Healthcare coverage offered in the US is as under :
HMO Coverage :
Most HMOs provide health care that you need when you travel away from home. Many Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans go a step further by offering a Guest Membership through the Away From Home Care Program. A Guest Membership is a courtesy enrollment for members who are temporarily residing outside of their Home HMO service area for at least 90 days. The Away From Home Care Program is available in most states.
This benefit is designed to ensure good health to you when you are in one of the following situations:
i. Students - Dependent attending school out-of-state
ii. Families Apart - Family members living in different HMO service areas
iii. Long-Term Traveler - Long Term Work assignment in another state, or retirees with a dual residence
Follow these 5 easy steps for health coverage away from home in the United States:
1. Always carry your current Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plan ID card
2. In an emergency, go directly to the nearest hospital
3. To find names and addresses of nearby doctors and hospitals, visit the Blue Card Doctor and Hospital Finder or call Blue Card Access at 1-800-810-BLUE
4. Call your Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield Plan for pre-certification or prior authorization, if necessary. (refer to the phone number on your Plan ID card)
5. When you arrive at the participating doctor's office or hospital, simply present your Plan ID card.
After you receive care:
1. You should not have to complete any claim forms
2. You should not have to pay up front for medical services other than the usual out-of-pocket expenses (non-covered services, deductible, co-payment, and co-insurance)
Your Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plan will send you a complete explanation of benefits.
Receiving Care While Away From Home
Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans have processes in place to provide coverage for members when they're away from home. Customer Service number on your Plan ID card would come quite handy to you when you want to know more about the specific coverage and how to receive care when you are away from home. Please do not hesitate to call on the number on your Plan ID card.
II - Healthcare coverage when traveling outside of the US
Blue Card Worldwide
In addition to getting information about hospitals and doctors, the site also provides helpful travel and destination information once you click on the Search for Hospitals and Doctors Worldwide.
When you need health care outside the U.S., follow these simple steps:
1. Always carry your Blue Cross and Blue Shield identification card.
2. Check with your Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plan before leaving the U.S. because your health care benefits may be different outside the U.S.
3. If you need emergency medical care, go to the nearest hospital. Call the Blue Card Worldwide Service Center at 1.800.810.BLUE (2583) or call collect at 1.804.673.1177 if youre admitted.
4. If you need non-emergency inpatient medical care, you must call the Blue Card Worldwide Service Center. The Service Center will facilitate hospitalization at a Blue Card Worldwide hospital or make an appointment with a doctor. It is important that you call the Blue Card Worldwide Service Center in order to obtain cash-less access for inpatient care. The Service Center is staffed with multilingual representatives and is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
5. Call your local Plan for pre-certification or prior authorization, if necessary. Refer to the phone number on the back of your card.
Claims filing and payment information:
a) For inpatient care at a Blue Card Worldwide hospital that was arranged through the Blue Card Worldwide Service Center, 1.800.810.BLUE (2583), you only pay the provider the usual out-of-pocket expenses (non-covered services, deductible, co-payment and co-insurance). The provider files the claim for you.
b) For all outpatient and professional medical care, you pay the provider and submit a claim. You may also have to pay the hospital (and submit a claim) for inpatient care obtained from a non-Blue Card Worldwide hospital or when inpatient care was not arranged through the Blue Card Worldwide Service Center.
c) To submit a claim, you complete an International Claim Form and send it to the Blue Card Worldwide Service Center.
III - Healthcare coverage when working and living outside the US (six months or more).
Blue Worldwide Expat
It is your single source for expatriate members who work or live out side the US and need healthcare coverage and medical assistance around the world. Blue Worldwide Expat is available to members anytime of the day or night. Members have access to a dedicated team who are available to help navigate the complicated international healthcare system. Blue Worldwide Expat is a comprehensive system of global medical coverage for active employees and their dependents spending more than six months outside the United States.
Some salient features of the Blue Worldwide Expat are as under:
Blue Worldwide Expat handles everything from language translation to converting currencies. Other features of the program include: Blue-branded products
i. Flexible benefit designs
ii. Access to more than 30,000 credentialed international physicians, hospitals and specialists
iii. Cashless access for inpatient services
iv. Access to Blue Card network of providers while traveling in the United States
v. 24-hour medical assistance and membership verification
vi. Centralized premium billing and collection
vii. Centralized claim adjudication and payment
viii. Language Translation
ix. Currency Conversion
x. Medical Evacuation and Repatriation
xi. Parental Accommodations
xii. In addition, Blue Worldwide Expat offers members and opportunity to obtain program information on the Internet. Members may have access to:
xiii. Contact Information
xiv. Program Benefits
xv. Claim Forms
xvi. Country Destination Reports
For all your health insurance needs be it in the U.S. or any where in the world think of only Blue Cross and Blue Shield and its cost effective plans.
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