Blue Cross/Blue Shield

[albertik]

This may be a bit premature but do any Americans utilizing Blue Cross/ Blue Shield have ideas about what docs we would need to show immigration that we have coverage with this insurance company? I suspect/fear that just showing a membership card may not be sufficient.

[oslooskar]

I have Kaiser Permanente coverage and was told point blank by one of their representatives on the telephone that I am covered anywhere in the world. However, I have to pay out of my own pocket at first and then submit a claim. They have a brochure online that explains the procedure one is to take for this.

 

https://m.kp.org/static/health/en-us/pdfs/cal/ca_travel_brochure.pdf

[lopburi3]

If you are talking about FEP plan suspect download and print of this (4 page) might be good backup as provides summary information.

https://media.fepblue.org/-/media/PDFs/Brochures/2019 Overseas Program.pdf

[Langsuan Man]

If they should ask,  I will just show them my  Benefits Card, that is what I show a US doctor or hospital and if Immigration wants more proof then they had better accept the card or send me home 

[GinBoy2]

Of course as with many things in Thailand, it's a bit nebulous right now.

 

But if I had to speculate, regardless of the fact that BCBS cover you outside of the US (although I'd check on the T&C's of that, regarding how long out of the country etc), they are going to require you to have a domestic Thai insurance policy when you go to immigration

[albertik]

10 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

Of course as with many things in Thailand, it's a bit nebulous right now.

 

But if I had to speculate, regardless of the fact that BCBS cover you outside of the US (although I'd check on the T&C's of that, regarding how long out of the country etc), they are going to require you to have a domestic Thai insurance policy when you go to immigration

BCBS covers me as an expat with no time limitations re: length of time out of the country. Prior to BCBS I had always been insured with Kaiser as was mentioned by oslooskar however their coverage was more for periodic travel as opposed to long time expat coverage as I understood it.

[albertik]

16 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

If you are talking about FEP plan suspect download and print of this (4 page) might be good backup as provides summary information.

https://media.fepblue.org/-/media/PDFs/Brochures/2019 Overseas Program.pdf

Yes I am talking about FEP. Thanks for your input. I guess time will tell. I am hoping that along with my membership card and a printout from the page(s) you suggested that will suffice.

[Leatherneck]

2 hours ago, albertik said:

Yes I am talking about FEP. Thanks for your input. I guess time will tell. I am hoping that along with my membership card and a printout from the page(s) you suggested that will suffice.

I'm hoping my membership card, this booklet, and the very large plan brochure will suffice when I renew my extension in Chiang Mai in September. If you renew before then, I sure would appreciate knowing what worked for you...and I would be willing to do the same if I renew before you.

[Leatherneck]

14 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

Of course as with many things in Thailand, it's a bit nebulous right now.

 

But if I had to speculate, regardless of the fact that BCBS cover you outside of the US (although I'd check on the T&C's of that, regarding how long out of the country etc), they are going to require you to have a domestic Thai insurance policy when you go to immigration

I'm also speculating that's exactly what is going to happen when I go in to renew my extension in September (even though I have full coverage by BCBS while living here). And if that is the case, that will be the last straw for me. I'll get the cheapest domestic Thai policy I can for a year and be gone for good by the time I have to renew in 2021. 

[lopburi3]

3 hours ago, albertik said:

Yes I am talking about FEP. Thanks for your input. I guess time will tell. I am hoping that along with my membership card and a printout from the page(s) you suggested that will suffice.

AFAIK the proposed need for insurance only effects O-A visa issuance in home country.  Nothing to do with extensions of stay.

[gk10002000]

8 hours ago, Leatherneck said:

I'm also speculating that's exactly what is going to happen when I go in to renew my extension in September (even though I have full coverage by BCBS while living here). And if that is the case, that will be the last straw for me. I'll get the cheapest domestic Thai policy I can for a year and be gone for good by the time I have to renew in 2021. 

Same here.  BCBS will re-imburse you for some expenses incurred anywhere, but you probably won't like the prices they will charge for either what they will classify as "emergency services" or "out of network". I had Florida BCBS for 15 years and had checked on the policy details and coverage many times as I traveled to Thailand on holidays.   The issue of medical insurance similar to this is going to come up for every expat from every country that probably has decent coverage in their home country.  What will happen or be enforced or codified in the LOS remains to be seen.  Similar to USA Medicare covered expats that get coverage if in the USA.  Will they be required to get Thai insurance? 

[swm59nj]

 I have the Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal Plan. I contacted BCBS last week regarding proof of international coverage in case it was needed. I was emailed a letter stating all this information for proof. You need to call your local BCBS provider and they will give you all the contact phone numbers for international claims. There is an international claims number, and a number for GMMI. GMMI is the company under contract for BCBS to process overseas medical claims. Prescription claims overseas are processed by Caremark. Claim forms are found on the FEP Blue website.

Overseas there is no "in network". You go to any provider. Then you pay for services, then get reimbursed. If the cost is high, for such as inpatient services. You can ask the hospital for a guarantee of service. Then either you or the hospital calls GMMI. If approved, the hospital accepts the payment directly from BCBS. Some hospitals have agreements with BCBS regarding guarantee of payment

Im speaking about the BCBS Federal Plan. There are other forms of BCBS. You should call the local customer service number of your specific plan to discuss all this.

Edited May 21, 2019 by swm59nj

[GinBoy2]

I lifted this off our BCBS account page as an FYI for international coverage:

 

For Services Outside the U.S.

• Inpatient care arranged by Blue Cross and Blue Shield Global Core Service Center and received at a participating Blue Cross and Blue Shield Global Core Service Center hospital:

  The provider will file all claims on your behalf. You'll only be responsible for your usual out-of-pocket expenses (copayments, coinsurance/deductible and non-covered services). 

• For care received from a non-participating provider:

  You may be responsible for completing an international claim form, available in English. 

  You may have to pay upfront for your medical services — non-emergency services rendered by a non-participating provider will be processed as out-of-network. 

• If you receive dental, vision or prescription drug services:

  You'll need to pay upfront and submit a claim to BCBSNC using the domestic claim form  for dental or vision, or the Prime claim form  for prescriptions.

Edited May 21, 2019 by GinBoy2

[mike787]

On 5/20/2019 at 7:50 PM, oslooskar said:

I have Kaiser Permanente coverage and was told point blank by one of their representatives on the telephone that I am covered anywhere in the world. However, I have to pay out of my own pocket at first and then submit a claim. They have a brochure online that explains the procedure one is to take for this.

 

https://m.kp.org/static/health/en-us/pdfs/cal/ca_travel_brochure.pdf

He is right. I switched to Cigna.  Bumrungrad loves Cigna because they pay and fast.  I gave up ob Lue cross.  Not good.

[GinBoy2]

10 minutes ago, swm59nj said:

 I have the Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal Plan. I contacted BCBS last week regarding proof of international coverage in case it was needed. I was emailed a letter stating all this information for proof. You need to call your local BCBS provider and they will give you all the contact phone numbers for international claims. There is an international claims number, and a number for GMMI. GMMI is the company under contract for BCBS to process medical claims. Prescription claims are processed by Caremark. Claim forms are found on the FEP Blue website.

Overseas there is no "in network". You go to any provider. Then you pay for services, then get reimbursed. If the cost is high, for such as inpatient services. You can ask the hospital for a guarantee of service. Then either you or the hospital calls GMMI. If approved, the hospital accepts the payment directly from BCBS. Some hospitals have agreements with BCBS.

Im speaking about the BCBS Federal Plan. There are other forms of BCBS. You should call the local customer service number of your specific plan to discuss all this.

This is curious. My wife works for DoD so we're in the Fed system, yet our BCBS is in North Carolina. I wonder if it depends where you work?

[swm59nj]

16 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

This is curious. My wife works for DoD so we're in the Fed system, yet our BCBS is in North Carolina. I wonder if it depends where you work?

     If you have BCBS Federal the office for that particular state handles you. For example I moved from one state to Arizona. The Arizona BCBS then handled all questions.  But my coverage did not change.

Edited May 21, 2019 by swm59nj

[albertik]

Leatherneck,  I would gladly report any details re: BC/BS and their acceptance at immigration but I won't have to renew my extension until Feb. 2020 so I guess you will already have the details. Thanks for your input. If you have the time please keep me (us) appraised of the situation.

 

[albertik]

My work location (California) prior to retirement had no effect on my filing a claim from Thailand. BC/BS FEP simply reimbursed me less the deductibles.

[sirineou]

Both me and my wife are  covered By Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield , I did have a conversation with them concerning coverage in Thailand and was told that I can either pay my self and be reimbursed by them after I filed a claim, or I can call Global Core at 800 810-2583  or 804 673-1177 24/7 

We have being coming to Thailand for over 13  years now, wife is a Thai national, with both Thai and US citizenship, and we both have being lucky enough to have never needed it. But we both travel back to the US a couple of times a year and we take care of all of our medical needs there. 

 

[albertik]

I did read yesterday that the Thai authorities are looking into the feasibility of allowing foreigners to use their legitimate home issued insurance policies. How they plan to verify this is unclear and this is possibly a sticking point.  Yesterday, I emailed BC/BS about the possibility of them providing some type of proof of current coverage for us expats, but so far only received a generic response i.e. refer to your policy online for coverages, with no mention of providing current standing with them. My membership card only says that I have been a member since 2008, but no mention of current status.

[lopburi3]

53 minutes ago, albertik said:

My membership card only says that I have been a member since 2008, but no mention of current status.

Card should also reference a plan number which will provide details.  Below is summary view of plans:

https://www.fepblue.org/benefit-plans/compare-plans-2019

 

https://media.fepblue.org/-/media/PDFs/Brochures/2019_Benefits_at_a_Glance.pdf

Edited May 25, 2019 by lopburi3

[albertik]

After emailing BC/BS overseas assistance, they sent me an official response that says my insurance is valid anywhere abroad. I hope this will suffice if requested at Imm. office.