Many employers require their employees to work or travel outside the United States; many people travel outside the U.S. for private reasons as well. In the event of serious illness or injury, this is a potentially catastrophic event, as your group health coverage provided by your employer or any individual plan may not be adequate outside the United States.

United States passports state explicitly that you should check your coverage before traveling or residing outside of the U.S., as many plans, including Medicare, do not provide coverage outside the United States. Many healthcare plans infer that coverage is worldwide, but they may contain serious exceptions that render the coverage's nearly useless.

Here are a few reasons why it's important to make sure your coverage is adequate if traveling out-of-country:

• Common in many plans are out-of-area coverage limitations for life-threatening conditions only. Plans can also stipulate that out-of-country coverage is limited to an initial hospital visit only, not to exceed 48 hours.
• Many plans limit the number of days the plan provisions allowed will be available and effective when you leave the country - typically, periods from 15 to 90 days.
• Many carriers have negotiated contracts or scheduled benefits FAR BELOW what might be billed by care providers in other countries. Reimbursement costs incurred may be limited to 70% of the carrier's approved rates. It is not uncommon to find approved rates at 42 CENTS ON THE DOLLAR due to exchange differences! 70% of that 42 cents is just 29 cents on the dollar. This currency exchange risk is a major problem, since this exposes you to higher costs just based on the differences in exchange rates at time of service
• Billing codes used in the United States are unheard of overseas. Unless you have the advantage of a claims administrator or hire a medical billing service, coverage outside of the United States may be impossible to collect from your insurer, leaving you responsible.
• U.S. Medicare does not pay for care or treatment incurred outside the United States, except in a few special circumstances. Medicare Supplement Plans pay ONLY AFTER MEDICARE PAYS, and are useless therefore for expenses incurred outside of the United States.

Anyone traveling outside of the United States needs to check their medical insurance plans carefully. For more on this subject, go to the U.S. Department of State website:

• http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/health/health_1185.html

We provide affordable, effective, and necessary international coverage's for just a few dollars a day:

• The International Major Medical Plan - for people visiting the U.S. or for foreign nationals
• The USAway International Major Medical Plan - for U.S. residents traveling overseas
• The Bridge Plan - for new U.S. residents awaiting Medicare eligibility, or U.S. citizens without Medicare Part A or B
• The WorldWide Major Medical Plan - for U.S. residents living abroad extensively
• See http://travel.state.gov/travel/living/residing/residing_1235.html for additional information

For employers, using these plans for your employees in conjunction with travel assistance plans is recommended. Also, for employers who have key employees working overseas for any length of time, kidnap and ransom coverage is affordable and relieves the employer of the monetary responsibility for negotiating the safe release of an employee.

If you have questions or would like to set up a program, email me at rick@viehdorfer.com

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