America's Benefit Specialist June 2023

NOTEWORTHY

in the next two years and 30% of Gen Z and 27% of Millennials would work remotely abroad if their job allowed it. Fifty-nine percent are concerned about getting sick while abroad. Most Americans who travel abroad are under/uninsured for the medical needs they are likely to encounter—whether it’s a minor medical issue (e.g., allergic reaction, stomach bug, etc.) or a serious life-threatening issue requiring a medical evacuation. This is why it’s not uncommon to see GoFundMe campaigns created to get relatives home from abroad after a medical emergency. This usually happens because the trav elers didn’t have a medical insurance plan that was designed for international travel and assumed their domestic health plan had adequate coverage outside of the country. The rise in international remote work, workcations, business travel and an increase in leisure travel only increases this risk. With nearly half of consumers planning to rely on their domestic health plan while traveling abroad, it’s clear most people aren’t aware of the coverage gaps that could result in emotional and financial distress when using a domestic health plan abroad. Some domestic employer-sponsored health plans offer no coverage abroad. Even those that do, offer “portability” of your coverage, which still leaves gaps in care, coverage and service (e.g., you need to pay upfront and claim for reimbursement; most domestic health plans don’t cover medical evacuation abroad, care received abroad is considered out of network, etc.) Most ACA plans don’t provide international medical cov erage. Even the richest Medicare supplement plans have limited international benefits. “Eager to travel and work from anywhere, Americans are making plans and getting their passports in order, but far too many don’t make arrangements for medical coverage abroad even though they know an illness or accident in a foreign country is a very real possibility. Consumers and

their employers alike need to make sure these travelers have adequate health coverage while abroad,” Lynn Pina, Chief Marketing Officer at GeoBlue noted. “Think of it this way, if you need a passport, you need an international travel medical plan.” Most employer-sponsored and ACA plans aren’t designed to be used abroad. With 190+ countries in the world, all with different healthcare systems and infrastructure, U.S.-style health plans often don’t work abroad. International healthcare providers expect payment in full at the time of service. Americans are used to showing their health plan ID card and getting immediate service with no upfront payments or small co-payments. Many international providers will deny care and/or confiscate the traveler’s pass port until full payment is received. International claims are typically considered out of network on a U.S. style plan. Travelers not only have to pay upfront to receive care, but they will likely be reimbursed at a lower rate since it’s an out-of-network claim. Domestic health insurers often don’t have 24/7/365 service. If you need to find out your coverage and benefits from the hospital in a foreign country, the time difference means you may not get help from your domestic health insurer when you need it, which could mean a delay in receiving care and/ or obtaining verification of your coverage. A medically necessary medical evacuation is typically not covered on a domestic health plan. Should travelers need medical evacuation, they will likely need to pay for it upfront and also try to make the complicated arrangements on their own. A medical evacuation could range from $10,000 to more than $100,000, depending on the medical situation and loca tion(s) involved. For the full survey results, infographics and more informa tion, visit https://about.geo-blue.com/remote-work.

INDUSTRY EVENTS

JUNE 5-7 Q4LIVE San Diego, CA www.q4live.q4intel.com JUNE 11-14 SHRM23 ANNUAL CONFERENCE & EXPO

JUNE 13-15 AHIP 2023

OCTOBER 22-24 LIMRA ANNUAL CONFERENCE National Harbor, MD www.limra.com

Portland, OR www.ahip.org JUNE 16-18 WOMEN OF INSURANCE ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE Nashville, TN www.womenofinsurance.org

Las Vegas, NV www.shrm.org

22 ABS | benefitspecialistmagazine.com