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Human Resources - Employee Benefits
Travel Health Plan
Purpose of the Plan
The Group Travel Health Plan protects you as an eligible employee as well as your eligible family members from the high cost of UNEXPECTED EMERGENCY health care if required outside Manitoba.
For information relating to Claiming Benefits, Co-ordination of Benefits, Exclusions, Family Member Eligibility, e-service, etc. please go to the Health Benefits Home Page.
Please NOTE - Travel Health Plan coverage ends first of the month following attainment of age 70 for Support employees and September 1 following attainment of age 70 for Academic employees. Once you are no longer eligible for the comprehensive travel health plan, you only have limited travel health protection under the Extended Health Plan.
Benefits
Subject to exclusions and limitations, this plan covers 100% of the expenses listed below:
- Hospital in-patient and out-patient charges for services and supplies.
- Medical and surgical charges for services provided by a legally qualified physician. Charges for services rendered in connection with general examinations for "check-up" or cosmetic purposes are not eligible expenses.
- Ambulance charges for service from the place of illness or accident to the nearest hospital capable of providing appropriate treatment.
- Economy air transportation by stretcher if the patient has received treatment at a hospital as an in-patient.
- Charges for dental care service to natural teeth when necessitated by a direct accidental blow to the mouth only, and not by an object wittingly or unwittingly placed in the mouth. The maximum amount payable is $1,500 per accident ($1,000 up to September 30, 2008). Dental treatment must commence within 180 days of the accident.
- Charges for the treatment for emergency relief of dental pain to a maximum of $300. Services must be rendered outside the Province of residence. A letter from the attending dentist must be presented indicating treatment was necessary to relieve dental pain not present before date of departure.
- In the event of loss of life, up to $5,000 towards the cost of transporting a deceased subscriber to the home city in Canada or for cremation or burial at place of death.
- Blood and blood plasma if not available free of charge.
Related Benefits
- Additional cost, if any, of the most direct return (economy)
air travel from the place where you were hospitalized as an inpatient to the home city in Canada, including the cost of return economy air travel for a professional nurse where nursing care is required during the flight home.
This benefit must be supported by a letter from the attending physician. This benefit is also available to your family (spouse or dependent children) or one travel companion who is covered by a Manitoba Blue Cross Travel Health Plan and is traveling with the patient at the time of injury or illness. - Charges for private duty nursing care by a graduate professional nurse registered in the place where the service is rendered, during or immediately following hospitalization as an in-patient. Those services must have been recommended by the attending physician and the nurse must not be a relative of the patient.
- An allowance of $40 per day for each day of hospitalizion as an in-patient to a maximum of $1,000. (This benefit is intended to help defray incidental costs such as parking, telephone calls, taxis etc.).
- Chiropractor and or a podiatrist. A letter from the attending practitioner certifying that services for acute care is required for claim submission.
- Charges for physiotherapy when provided in hospital.
- Prescription drugs.
- Return of subscriber's vehicle if the subscriber is unable to drive, to a maximum expense of $2,000.
- Repair or replacement of eye glasses or contact lenses up to a maximum of $100 providing the injury must require treatment by a Physician or Dentist.
- Additional board and lodging expenses incurred beyond the original duration of your trip by a relative or friend also covered by a Blue Cross Travel Health Plan remaining with you during your hospitalization as an in-patient.
- Charges for transportation of an immediate family member to your bedside to be with you while you are confined to a hospital for at least 3 days outside your province of residence. Transportation charges for a member to identify the deceased prior to the release of the body, if required by law. Maximum $4,000 for round trip economy airfare.
- Charges for commercial accommodation and meals to a combined maximum of $500 ($300 up to September 30, 2008) for persons traveling to the bedside or traveling to identify a deceased family member.
- Additional cost of return economy airfare for an escort to accompany your children (up to 18 years of age) to their province of residence in the event you have been evacuated to Canada for medical reasons.
- Additional cost of returning your pet to your home city in Canada up to a maximum of $500 ($300 up to September 30, 2008), in the event you are confined to hospital for at least 3 days outside your province of residence.
- Charges for emergency veterinary care due to unexpected injury of accompanying pet to a maximum of $200.
International Travel Assistance
How do you find good medical care when you are faced with an emergency in a foreign country? You may not speak the language, you may be incapacitated and you will most likely not know where to get the best professional care.
Through your Group Plan you now have assistance for all these problems.
The International Travel Assistance service offers 24-hour worldwide assistance to travelers in emergency medical situations. Insured travelers, physicians or hospitals should contact the International Travel Assistance provider immediately in the following medical situations:
- You are hospitalized or about to be hospitalized.
- You need assistance in locating the proper medical care nearest you.
- Insurance verification is required (this may be confirmed by the physician/hospital through our International Travel Assistance provider directly).
- You are involved in an accident requiring medical treatment
- You have a medical problem and require translation service.
- Emergency evacuation is deemed medically necessary (arrangements will be made through our International Travel Assistance provider).
- Any serious medical problem arises.
Be prepared to give the name of the person covered, the group and contract number, and a description of the problem.
International Travel Assistance Toll Free Telephone Numbers
In Canada and United States, call toll free 1-866-601-2583. In all other countries, or if you have any difficulties with the toll free number, call collect 0-204-775-2583.
The International Travel Assistance toll free telephone numbers are located on the back of your identification card for your convenience.
For general inquiries call Manitoba Blue Cross at 775-0151 or toll free within Manitoba only 1-800-USE-BLUE (1-800-873-2583) outside Manitoba, but within Canada 1-888-596-1032.
Contact the International Travel Assistance service immediately for benefits verification and procedures.
Neither the University of Winnipeg, Manitoba Blue Cross nor the International Travel Assistance provider shall be responsible for the availability, quality or results of any medical treatment or the failure of the insured to obtain medical treatment.
Travel Health Exclusions
For General Exclusions that apply to all health benefits please refer to the Health Benefits Home Page. Blue Cross will not pay for any travel health services if:
- You are retired.
- You are a student in full-time attendance at a learning institution outside of Canada.
- You travel outside Manitoba for the purpose of obtaining medical or hospital services whether or not such trip is taken on the advice of a Physician.
- You are beyond age 70 (First of the month following attainment of age 70 for support employees and first of September following attainment of age 70 for academic employees). If you continue in active employment beyond this date, limited travel health coverage is available under the Extended Health Plan
- You travel outside Canada for a period in excess of 90 days (or a period in excess of 12 months if traveling outside Manitoba on approved sabbatical leave). If you cease to be actively at work due to accident or illness, you and your dependents will be limited to trips of 90 days in duration outside Canada.
- You are traveling against medical advice.
- The charges are associated with the required confinement due to childbirth and delivery, in the event that any portion of travel outside your province of residence falls after the 36th week of gestation.
- The charges are for any treatment or surgery which is not required for the immediate relief of acute pain or suffering or which reasonably could have been delayed (on medical evidence) until the patient's return to his/her province of residence.
All travel health benefits shall be considered eligible only on submission of certification by the attending Physician that the services were for emergency treatment. To be eligible, the hospital or medical benefits must have been provided at the nearest facility capable of providing adequate service at the time of illness of injury.
Blue Cross reserves the right to return the patient to his/her province of residence in an appropriate mode of transportation subject to agreement by the international travel assistance provider and the attending physician that such transportation would not be harmful to the patient's health. The refusal by the patient or the patient's family to be returned will absolve Blue Cross of any claim liability.
Only charges incurred while traveling outside the boundaries of the province of residence are eligible expenses under the Travel Health Plan.
