Dear members, many of you are preparing for your summer travels. After my recent experience, I want to mention a few things for your consideration before you travel.
If you have purchased travel insurance, read the policy and make sure you understand your coverage. If you have a mishap, is there a consultant who will coordinate the new arrangements that must be made. Does coverage for health issues pay for your total costs or just those that exceed your normal coverage?
Beware, unless you have a special Medicare advantage plan, Medicare does not cover overseas medical treatments or hospitalizations. Luckily, Tricare for Life does. Except for a $3,000 catastrophic annual deductible, Tricare for Life covers you and your spouse when you are abroad. This is a tremendous benefit, so do your part to protect it when it is threatened.
Even if you are covered for medical expenses, do you have coverage for the expense of changing you plans…hotel reservations, airline tickets or catch-up costs to resume a cruise. These can be costly oversights. Is the expense of repatriation of a body and those special expenses included in the coverage?
Some insurance policies must be purchased at the time of trip commitments. Others can be purchased up to the date of the beginning of your trip. Some policies cover cancellation fees and rebooking expenses and refund money…others only offer credit to be applied toward another booking. Does the policy cover a specific event or travel for a length of time?
Before purchasing travel insurance decide what coverage is important to you and/or your travel companion. Read the policy carefully with lots of difficult circumstances in mind while you are considering if the policy suits your circumstances.
Before you go, go to the web and search for the Tricare Important Contact Information. It is a trifold business card that lists Tricare stateside Contacts, Tricare Overseas Program, Tricare area offices. Also listed are Tricare Pharmacy and Dental programs. For our membership, most important is the TRICARE FOR LIFE (TFL) 1-(800)-538-9552. Always carry your military ID card with you. If you need suggestions, you can consult the Nurse Advice line. You may have a conversation with a registered nurse via Web chat, Video chat using MHSNurseAdviceLine.com. Or you can call 1(800)-874-2273 option 1. Your benefits number is on your ID card.
Bon Voyage!
