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 Marcha Schriver, Benefits Manager, Department of Human Resources, 683-4760 (mschrive@odu.edu).
ODU Employee Health Insurance under the Commonwealth of Virginia's Blue Cross Blue Shield COVA Care Plan effective 7/01/04 - ODU employees who are enrolled in COVA Care pay $300 per confinement for in-network medical treatment; 25% allowable charge plus $300 per confinement for out-of-network medical treatment for hospital expenses (Out-of-Network coverage is only available if you have selected and enrolled in an Out-of-Network Coverage Option), $25 per primary care physician (PCP) visit, $35 per specialist visit for in-network. Emergency, life-threatening medical services costs are: Facility Services are $100, Professional Provider Services range from $25 to $35, and coinsurance is 10% after the deductible. If you need medical care outside the Anthem network you will receive the highest level of benefits when your care is coordinated through the BlueCard Worldwide Service Center. The BlueCard Worldwide program enables you to receive inpatient and outpatient hospital care and physician services when you are outside the United States. You may obtain a list of BlueCard Worldwide hospitals on the Web at http://www.bcbs.com/. Select "Healthcare Anywhere" then "PPO Coverage" or you may call 1-800-810-2583 for a worldwide list. It is important that you call the Service Center in order to obtain cash-less access for impatient care. The hospital may submit your claim for you. The Service Center is staffed with multilingual representatives and is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For Outpatient Care: Call the BlueCard Worldwide service center at 1-800-810-2583 and the Service Center will make an appointment with a doctor for you or will direct you to a hospital. Present your Anthem BC/BS medical ID card. You will need to pay for your care and then submit a claim using the International Claim Form. The BlueCard Worldwide program includes 954 hospitals in 122 countries. For additional information, please contact Marcha Schriver, Benefits Manager at 1-757-683-4760 or by e-mail at mschrive@odu.edu.
Prescription Drugs When Traveling - If you are planning to travel on vacation or leaving home for an extended period of time, you may need one or more early refills of your medication. Participating retail pharmacies and the Medco Health Home Delivery Pharmacy Service may provide one early refill (up to a 34 day or 90 day supply, as appropriate) to accommodate your travel. For extended travel, multiple refill requests must be sent to: The Department of Human Resource Management, Office of Health Benefits, Att: State Health Benefits Program, 101 North 14th Street, Richmond, VA 23219. Please include documentation of your dates of travel, the names of the prescriptions that you wish to request, the number of refills, the name of the prescribing medical provider. Please allow two to three weeks for processing your request. Keep in mind that you will never be allowed to obtain more refills than have been prescribed by your medical provider. For more information, please contact Marcha Schriver, Benefits Manager, Department of Human Resources, (757)683-4760 (mschrive@odu.edu).
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 Marcha Schriver, Department of Human Resources, (757) 683-4760 (mschrive@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 Maria Wallace at ODU’s CI Travel Office in Webb Center, 683-4977. Additional flight insurance is available from the CI Travel office at the Norfolk International Airport, located near the new skywalk on the second level (across from barber shop), Tel.: 853-0100.
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:
- International Teacher Identification Card (ITIC) - Available from the Office of Study Abroad (Dragas International Center) for $22.00 (check to ODU or exact cash) and an ID-sized photo (can be taken by OSA, two for $8), generally available within 24 hours of application. Insurance Benefits (only outside U.S. and while card is in force [annual calendar issuance]): $5000 Accidental Death and Dismemberment (Air); $1000 Accidental Death and dismemberment (Other); $5000 Accident Medical Expense; $100 Per Day Sickness/Hospital Benefit (up to 60 days); $50 Baggage Delay; $50 Travel Delay (domestic only); $250,000 Emergency Medical Evacuation; $25,000 Repatriation of Remains; $250 Passport Replacement Service; Travel Guard Assistance service (24-hour medical assistance, legal assistance, travel assistance). (Claims are paid after insurer receives proof of loss.) The full policy description is available in the Study Abroad Office, Dragas International Center.
- 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 Global Assistance 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 International Center, 683-4419).
