Traveling Abroad
Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Core offers provider search, medical translations, travel alerts and more services for eligible Blue Cross Blue Shield members.
Take your health care benefits with you when you are abroad.1 Through the Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Core℠ program, you have access to doctors and hospitals around the world.
How the Program Works- Always carry your current member ID card.
- Before you travel, contact your Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) company for coverage details. Coverage outside the United States may be different.
- If you need to locate a doctor or hospital, call the Service Center. An assistance coordinator, in conjunction with a medical professional, will arrange a physician appointment or hospitalization if necessary.
- If you need inpatient care, call the Service Center to arrange direct billing. In most cases, you should not need to pay upfront for inpatient care except for the out-of-pocket expenses (noncovered services, deductible, copayment and coinsurance) you normally pay. The hospital should submit the claim on your behalf.
- In addition to contacting the Service Center, call your BCBS company for precertification or preauthorization. Refer to the phone number on the back of your member ID card.
- For outpatient and doctor care or inpatient care not arranged through the Service Center, you may need to pay upfront. Complete a Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Core International claim form and send it with the bill(s) to the Service Center (the address is on the form). You can also submit your claim online or through the Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Core mobile app. The claim form is available from your BCBS company or online at bcbsglobalcore.com.
- In the case of an emergency, go directly to the nearest hospital.
- Visit bcbsglobalcore.com.
- Use the Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Core mobile app for Android™ or iPhone®.
- Call your BCBS company.
- Call the Service Center at 1-800-810-2583 or collect at 1-804-673-1177, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Portable Benefits Coverage
The BlueCard® PPO program links you directly to care anywhere in the country and in the world. So, whether traveling or living in another state, members can take advantage of their benefits by presenting their ID cards to any participating doctor or hospital. Once enrolled, members simply carry our easily identifiable ID cards with a PPO in a suitcase logo, which lists a toll-free number to help reach a BlueCard PPO provider.
