FACULTY/ STAFF INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL - INSURANCE INFORMATION
With more ODU faculty and staff traveling internationally than ever before - and with various health and travel risks continually being discussed in the media - those who plan to travel outside the US should be aware of ODU employee insurance coverage, coverage options and independent sources of coverage that they may want to explore. At the very least, print this page before you travel abroad and share it with your spouse/partner/relative so you and they can be knowledgeable about your coverage. Prior to international travel, it is always a good idea to visit the US State Department website on international travel assistance and advisories at http://www.travel.state.gov/. The State Department maintains a toll free number (1-888-407-4747) to provide assistance during regular working hours. The State Department has also recently introduced an electronic registration process (the Internet-Based Registration System (IBRS) - visit https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/home.asp) that permits US travelers to register with DOS prior to departure or during travel abroad.
ODU Employee Insurance Coverage Applicable Outside the US
All full-time ODU faculty administrators, faculty or classified employees have life insurance provided by the Virginia Retirement System at no employee charge. This insurance provides ODU employees two kinds of insurance - life insurance and accidental death/dismemberment. The amount is your annual salary rounded to the next highest thousand and then doubled for natural death and four times your annual salary in the event of an accidental death. In addition, and especially important for international travel, this coverage includes costs incurred for the repatriation of remains if death occurs at least 75 miles from home. The amount paid will be either the cost of transportation or $5,000, whichever is less. The carrier is Minnesota Life Insurance Company. For more information, contact Dave Hollembeak, Benefits Administrator, Department of Human Resources, 757-683-3051 (chollemb@odu.edu).
ODU Employee Health Insurance Outside the U.S. under the Commonwealth of Virginia's Health Plans:
COVA CONNECT INTERNATIONAL CLAIMS PROGRAM:
Coverage outside the United States
When you live or travel outside the United States and are in need of medical treatment, you may receive care and Optima Health will assist you with the claim process.
Before you travel: Contact Optima Health's local, dedicated phone line for International Claims at 757-552-8890 or toll-free at 877-822-7503 to provide notification that you are leaving the country.
If you need care once you arrive at your destination:
Notify Optima Health by calling toll free 877-822-7503. During Optima Health's regular business hours, the phone will be answered by a representative who will provide instructions for you to complete an online, International Claim Form. After business hours, you will reach voicemail and be given specific instructions concerning completion of the International Claim Form. Send the completed International Claim Form to Optima Health by fax to 757-552-7538 or mail to Optima Health, Commonwealth International Claims, 4417 Corporation Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23462. If you leave a phone number including the country code, a representative from Optima Health will call and let you know when the International Claim Form is received. You may also contact Optima Health by e-mail. Log on to optimahealth.com/cova and proceed to My Optima. Select International Claims, compose the e-mail, and attach the completed International Claim Form in PDF format. Bills and itemized receipts may also be sent as attachments by e-mail. A response will be sent to you by e-mail advising when the attachments are received. If you do not have the technology necessary to send attachments electronically, bills and itemized receipts may be faxed to Optima Health at 757-552-7538 or mailed to Optima Health, Commonwealth International Claims, 4417 Corporation Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23462. If notification is received prior to or during your course of treatment, Optima Health will work directly with the out-of-country Provider for the billing of claims and payment. If direct payment to the Providers is not possible, you will be responsible for paying the Provider and seeking Reimbursement from Optima Health by submitting the International Claim Form along with itemized receipts.
COVA CARE AND COVA HDHP BLUECARD WORLDWIDE PROGRAM:BlueCard Worldwide for Care outside the United StatesIf you live or travel outside the United States, the BlueCard Worldwide program assists you to obtain Inpatient and Outpatient hospital care and physician services.
Follow these steps before you travel:
Obtain a list of BlueCard Worldwide hospitals located where you will be traveling or staying. You may obtain this information on the Web at www.bcbs.com. Select the "Healthcare Coverage" tab, then "Preferred Provider Organization (PPO)" under Types of Coverage. Or you may call 800-810-BLUE (2583) for assistance.
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Be sure to carry your Anthem Medical ID card with you and present it when You need Inpatient care.
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If you need care once you arrive at your destination, follow these simple steps:
Inpatient hospital care (non-Emergency):
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Call the BlueCard Worldwide Service Center at 804-673-1177 (use a local operator to set up a collect call to the U.S.). A BlueCard Worldwide Service Center representative will accept the charges and will facilitate hospitalization at a BlueCard Worldwide hospital. It is important that you call the Service Center in order to obtain cash-less access for Inpatient care. The hospital will submit your claim for you. The Service Center is staffed with multilingual representatives and is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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Call Anthem Member Services at 804-355-8506 for Hospital Admission Review.
Inpatient hospital care (Emergency):
Outpatient hospital care/physicians services:
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Call the BlueCard Worldwide Service Center at 804-673-1177 (or use a local operator to set up a collect call to the U.S.) if you would like information on physicians or the charges, and if you want, make an appointment with a doctor for you, or will direct you to a hospital.
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You will need to pay for your care and then submit a claim using the International Claim Form to the BlueCard Worldwide Service Center (address is on the claim form). Contact the Service Center for the form, or you may download the form on the Web at www.bcbs.com. Select the "Healthcare Coverage" tab, then "When Working or Travelling Abroad".
Prescription Drug Refills Before Traveling
If you are planning to travel on vacation or leaving home for an extended period, you may need one or more early refills of your medication. Participating retail pharmacies and the CVS Caremark (COVA Connect), MedCo (COVA Care) or Wellpoint NextRx (COVA HDHP) mail service will provide one early refill (up to a 34-day or a 90-day supply, as appropriate) to accommodate travel. However, for extended travel, members must complete the Prescription Drug Refill Exception Request form available on the DHRM Web site at www.dhrm.virginia.gov or from your Benefits Administrator. Send the completed form by fax or U.S.
Mail to:
Attention: Policy and Instruction
101 North 14th Street, 13th Floor
Richmond, VA 23219
or Fax: (804) 371-0231
DHRM will approve all valid requests and forward them to Optima, MedCo or Anthem. A member of the Optima, MedCo or Anthem customer service team will contact you to obtain specific medication information. Once you provide the medication information, a prior authorization will be entered for each medication requested and you will have 14 days to complete your purchase.
Please note:
The maximum supply you may purchase at one time is 12 months; You will not be allowed to purchase more refills than prescribed. For example, if your one year prescription expires six months from the date of your request, You cannot purchase more than a six-month supply of medication; You will be charged the appropriate Copayment for refills requested on the form. For example, you will be charged for a 6-month supply of medication if You requested a 6-month supply on the form and later decided to purchase only a 3-month supply at the pharmacy; The Food and Drug Administration limits early refills on certain medications; Allow at least two weeks for complete processing of your request; and The Commonwealth reserves the right to bill a member for any months of medication remaining if employment terminates.
Workers' Compensation Program
Injuries sustained while on University business abroad (a "compensable injury") may also be covered under Workers' Compensation. If you are injured "on the job" while overseas and need medical treatment, contact a medical provider. If you are in a position to contact your department or the Department of Human Resources/Benefits, please do so and HR/Benefits can file your information with Workers Compensation immediately. If not, please contact HR/Benefits as soon as possible. If the employee must pay for treatment, he/she should do so. HR/Benefits will help the employee file for reimbursement after return to the US. Provide the medical provider your health care information and instead of needing to pay up front, the medical provider might file it with your health care provider. Workers Compensation will have this adjusted with your health care provider, if the injury is determined to be compensable. For more information, contact Dave Hollembeak, Benefits Administrator, Department of Human Resources, 757-683-4760, (chollemb@odu.edu).
CI Travel Life Insurance Coverage
Airline tickets purchased through CI Travel and paid for by ODU carry travel life insurance of $200,000 per trip. (Personal travel through CI Travel carries travel life insurance of $100,000.) This policy is underwritten by Cook & Company Insurance and includes standard coverage. See http://www.travelcoverage.com/. For more information, contact CI Travel headquarters at headquarters@citravel.com or 757-461-0022/ 888-461-0022.
Independent Sources of Coverage
Those ODU faculty or staff planning international travel may want to explore independent and supplemental sources of medical/life insurance. Some options include:
- MEDEX - Provides medical assistance to travelers and expatriates with a provider network in over 100 countries. MEDEX operates a 24-hour service from command centers located in Baltimore, Maryland, Brighton England and Beijing, China. MEDEX offers a range of programs, including TravMed ($100,000 in coverage for $4.00 per day (up to age 70) and SafeTrip, a low-cost insurance supplement that covers: emergency medical evacuation, repatriation of remains; repatriation to a licensed medical facility in the home country; one-way airfare to the place of residence for dependent children left unattended; a round-trip flight for a family member to the place of hospitalization, if a patient is hospitalized for more then seven days. See http://www.medexassist.com/.
- International SOS - The GlobalAssistance and Global Plus Plans specialize in short-term (1-14 days) travel and expatriate coverage. These plans have options that provide coverage for trip cancellation/interruption, lost luggage/travel documents, medical emergencies, medical evacuation, repatriation of remains, acccidental death and dismemberment, etc. International SOS maintains 24 Alarm Centers in 20 countries and SOS clinics in Kazakhstan, China, Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia, Nigeria, the Congo, Australia, Russia, Cambodia and Azerbaijan. See http://www.internationalsos.com/.
Faculty/staff exploring independent coverage should make comparisons regarding rates and coverage and seek references from the Office of International Programs (Dragas Hall 2006 | oip@odu.edu| 757-683-4419).
