| BlueCard Program
When you’re a Regence BlueCross BlueShield of
Utah BlueChoicesSM member, you take your
health care benefits with you — across the country
and around the world. The BlueCard Program gives you
access to doctors and hospitals almost everywhere, giving
you the peace of mind that you’ll always find
the care you need.
As a Blue Plan member, you have more freedom to choose
the doctors and hospitals that best suit you and your
family. Your membership gives you a world of choices.
More than 85 percent of all doctors and hospitals throughout
the U.S. contract with Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans.
Whether you need care in urban or rural areas, you’re
covered. Outside the U.S., you have access to doctors
and hospitals in more than 200 countries.
With the BlueCard Program, you can locate doctors and
hospitals quickly and easily. Have your Blue Cross and
Blue Shield Plan member card handy, and do one of the following:
-OR-
- Call BlueCard Access at 1 (800) 810-BLUE for the
names and addresses of doctors and hospitals in the
area where you or a covered dependent need care.
If you’re a PPO member, always use a BlueCard
PPO doctor or hospital to make sure you receive the
highest level of benefits.
In many cases, when you travel or live outside your
Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plan’s service area,
you can take advantage of savings the local Blue Plan
has negotiated with doctors and hospitals in the area.
You should not have to pay any amount above these negotiated
rates. Also, you should not have to complete a claim
form or pay up-front for your health-care services,
except for those out-of-pocket expenses (like non-covered
services, deductible, copayment and coinsurance that
you’d pay anyway.)
Within the U.S.
- Always carry your current Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Plan memb3r card for easy reference and access to service.
- In an emergency, go directly to the nearest hospital.
- To find names and addresses of nearby doctors and
hospitals, visit the BlueCard
Doctor and Hospital Finder Web site or call BlueCard
Access at 1 (800) 810-BLUE.
- Call your Blue Plan for pre-certification or prior
authorization, if necessary. (Refer to the phone number
on your Blue Plan member card. It is different from the
BlueCard Access number listed in the previous step.)
- When you arrive at the participating doctor’s
office or hospital, simply present your Plan member card.
If you are a PPO member, the doctor will recognize
the PPO logo, which will ensure that you will get
the PPO level of benefits.
After you receive care, you should not have to complete
any claim forms. Nor should you have to pay up-front
medical services other than the usual out-of-pocket
expenses (non-covered services, deductible, copayment
and coinsurance). Your Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plan
will send you a complete explanation of benefits.
Around the World
Like your passport, you should always carry your Blue
Cross and Blue Shield Plan member card when you travel or
live outside the U.S. The BlueCard Worldwide program
provides medical assistance services and access to doctors,
hospitals, and other health-care professionals around
the world. When outside the U.S. follow the same simple
process as in the U.S. with the following exceptions:
- In most cases, you should not need to pay up-front
for inpatient care at BlueCard Worldwide hospitals.
You are responsible for the usual out-of-pocket expenses
(non-covered services, deductible, copayment and coinsurance).
The hospital should submit your claim.
- You pay the doctor or hospital for inpatient care
at non-BlueCard Worldwide hospitals, outpatient hospital
care, and other medical services. Then, complete an
international claim form and send it to the BlueCard
Worldwide Service Center. The claim form is available
from your Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield Plan or online
at www.bcbs.com.
You can take advantage of these added features when
outside the U.S.:
- You can call 1 (800) 810-BLUE or collect at 1 (804)
675-1177, 24 hours a day, seven days a week for information
on doctors, hospitals, and other health-care professionals
or to receive medical assistance services around the
world.
- A medical assistance coordinator, in conjunction
with a medical professional, will make an appointment
with a doctor or arrange hospitalization, if necessary.
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