Leaving on a Jet Plane? Protecting Yourself Away From Home.

Here’s your scene:

You, dear reader, are away from home. It’s a pleasure trip and you’ve been adventuring. Maybe that looks like hiking in the mountains in North Carolina, maybe you’re trying paddleboarding in the Pacific, regardless, you’ve had a wonderful day, you’ve gotten changed and are walking towards a restaurant for dinner in cute, but not exactly stable flip flops.

Enter from the side, a raised curb. Innocuous at first, but only until the tip of your flip flop hits the edge and sends you sprawling.

You roll your ankle and land awkwardly.

You laugh abashedly, shake off the fall and go along your way – limping a little but determined to go on with your night. Before you settle in for the night you take an ibuprofen, to ease the tenderness.

Fast forward a few hours and the soreness has increased to pain, you wake in the middle of the night and instead of an ankle, your foot is topped by a softball sized lump. You’re more than 100 miles away from your home, your doctor, your go-to urgent care and don’t know where to go.

Now what?

This week, we’re talking about travelling, both domestically and internationally.

First things first – before you travel, check your benefits package and see if you have a disability policy. Many times, there will be a travel insurance component of your group disability policy that you can leverage if you need it when you’re travelling.

Domestic travel is pretty straightforward:

·?????? PPO members, look on your app and find the closest in-network provider. Keep in mind that you’ll also need to check the network status of any providers you have follow-up care with. Emergencies like the one I described above are covered differently than follow-up care you might need to have while still away from home.

·?????? HMO members, call your medical group using the number on the back of your card, tell them what happened and where you’re going. They’ll assist in coordinating payment when you have a medical emergency outside of the area. You’ll also need to call them before any follow-up care. When you’re out of the area, most HMOs will not cover services for anything other than an emergency. Before you incur a claim, make sure that they’re going to cover it!

International travel is another thing completely.

There are carriers that will cover emergency expenses while you’re out of the country. You’ll need to look at your Evidence of Coverage (this is the 150+ page document that outlines your contract with the carrier) and search for international travel. The EOC will outline the coverage if any and let you know that you’re going to be responsible to pay first and submit translated invoices (with CPT codes) to the carrier when you get back to the states for reimbursement. Not ideal, but you’ll get some money back. Also, some carriers have in-network providers in certain countries, make sure you check your app before you head to your destination.

The claims process once you get back to the US is fairly straightforward, you’ll need to submit a super bill for the services you received (with all the diagnostic and CPT codes), receipts showing payment and a claim form. Most processes take ~30 days, but there may be a delay with international claims. You’ll receive an explanation of benefits showing you what the carrier covers and how they allocated your out-of-pocket expenses to your deductible and out-of-pocket maximum. They’ll also tell what your reimbursement is, if any and then issue a check.

If all of this sounds complicated, you’re not wrong. And there is a solution. Travel insurance. (side note – I don’t receive commission from any travel insurance companies, I just happen to appreciate the product and recommend it)

The first place you should check for travel insurance is your credit card, often there is a benefit to using rewards cards when booking your trips and they’ll cover things like changes due to inclement weather or illness, check with your card for details.

Another avenue is to purchase travel protection when you book your trip, most companies offer this when you are checking out. However, this isn’t always the most comprehensive coverage, and you are better off purchasing separately through a travel insurance company. The policies can be purchased for the length of your trip or a year at a time, for coverage domestically or internationally, and with levels of benefit (including things like a personal concierge in lieu of an 800 number).

I’ve recommended travel insurance for years, not just for the medical benefit, but for the assistance if your baggage gets lost or you need to get back to the US in an emergency. Repatriation is a huge challenge and cost in an emergency and appropriate coverage, can take some of the lift off your shoulders getting home.

The nicest thing about travel insurance policies is they are completely customizable to you – and you can purchase them any time, regardless of whether you are a w2 employee, 1099 contractor or a sole proprietor.

Until next week - be well! Sirena

ps - if there is anything you want to dive into, let me know if the comments or send me a DM. I'm happy to explain the things you don't understand.