- Thread starter SteveK
- Start date
US Health Insurance - US Federal Employee Retired
Cavok is correct. I have not come across any that will bill the US insurance directly. There are some (few) plans that cover "out of country" but normally you have to pay up front then submit the bills for reimbursement. I know of no medical facility that accepts BCBS Fed plan that I am aware of. You may want to contact the insurance and see if they will reimburse you for medical bills.
Thanks Keepcoming, Appreciate the info..glad I asked about this.
American insurance companies know better than to work with any clinics here. The amount of fraud they would incur would bankrupt them.
I am a retiree with Blue Cross and Blue Shield US coverage, but not a Federal plan.
I have been hospitalized several times while in the DR and the clinic billed BC/BS directly.
Blue Cross actually has a department that handles such claims. I would check with your Blue plan. Some Blue Shield plans do allow for direct billing for hospitalizations. The Blue Cross portion won't cover a visit to a doctor, however.
I have been hospitalized several times while in the DR and the clinic billed BC/BS directly.
Blue Cross actually has a department that handles such claims. I would check with your Blue plan. Some Blue Shield plans do allow for direct billing for hospitalizations. The Blue Cross portion won't cover a visit to a doctor, however.
Are you sure that isn't limited to certain specific, approved clinics and, even then, just during travel out of the country?
It is limited to clinics that have signed contracts with Blue plans. My Blue plan website has a list, arranged by country and city, of clinics that have signed participation contracts. In Puerto Plata, Bournigal and Clinica Brugal were listed when I checked.
Plan must include out of area rider and, unlike Medicare, makes no distinction between traveling to or living in the location.
Profe, I never knew. I have BCBS but have never found any clinic/hospital that would bill my insurance. I have the list of clinics/hospitals but each time they say I need to pay and then request reimbursement from my insurance.
KC, I don't know why they refused you, but they paid Bournigal an extortionate amount when I fractured my wrist and required fracture reduction under general anesthesia.
They paid again 10 days later when the wrist needed to be reset, too!
The thing is, that if they bill the Blue plan directly, they can bill in dollars, so as someone mentioned earlier in the thread the bill can get very high.
They paid again 10 days later when the wrist needed to be reset, too!
The thing is, that if they bill the Blue plan directly, they can bill in dollars, so as someone mentioned earlier in the thread the bill can get very high.
In general, that is very true. I, however, am very fortunate to have a premium BCBS plan paid in full by my former employer. If the premiums go up, I won't be affected.
My BCBS is considered to be equal to or better than Medicare Part B, so the SSA does not require me to enroll in or pay for Part B. My annual limitation for out of pocket healthcare costs is about the equivalent of 3 months premiums for Part B. I am assuming that Part B is billed at around 200 a month.
That is one phenomenal insurance plan! I never heard of that before. I think I pay about $140/mo for PartB(?).
We pay over $500 a month (for both of us) for our supplement, on top of cost of Plan B Medicare, so you’re very fortunate. Our supplement covers us worldwide for emergencies, with a $250 deductible. We have to pay then get reimbursed.
Part B:
| Premium | $164.90 each month (or higher depending on your income). The amount can change each year. You’ll pay the premium each month, even if you don’t get any Part B-covered services. Who pays a higher Part B premium because of income? You might pay a monthly penalty if you don’t sign up for Part B when you’re first eligible for Medicare (usually when you turn 65). You’ll pay the penalty for as long as you have Part B. The penalty goes up the longer you wait to sign up. Find out how the Part B penalty works and how to avoid it. |
My costs are limited (single coverage) to a yearly deductible of $100, a yearly cap of $500 on out of pocket expenses for the 20% on doctor visits and prescription co-pays of $1 or $5 (generic vs name brand) on prescriptions of up to 90 days.
IRMA. I pay more than double for part B. If your income is above a certain limit there is IRMA. It is a penalty for having income above a certain limit and the penalty can double or triple the normal part B
I have the same with a plan from United Health Care and pay nothing in additional to my regular Part B Premium. And I had a major operation with a two week stay in a hospital and payed nothing. Also no Referrals necessary and no co pays. They have a similar Emergency plan but I never used it as I have coverage in the DR that works. Your plan seems the same, but maybe you are paying extra for this Worldwide Emergency that might be better.