Long Term Worldwide Specialty

Please refer to the following article concerning the claim process:
Visitor Insurance Claim Process

• International Students living in an approved state
• International Faculty and Research Scholars in an approved state
• Optional Practical Training (OPT) Participants living in an approved state
• U.S. Students and Faculty, planning on studying outside of the U.S., applying from either an approved state or from outside of the U.S.
• Pre-existing condition waiting period can be eliminated with proof of prior creditable coverage

If you were previously covered by a group or individual U.S. health plan that issues you a Certificate of Creditable Coverage, Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Solutions will apply this prior coverage to the pre-existing conditions waiting period, provided you meet our medical underwriting criteria. We will also consider private health insurance issued in other countries as creditable coverage. We do not consider surplus lines insurance sold in the U.S. as creditable coverage.

The number of months of coverage shown on the Certificate will reduce or eliminate the 12 month pre-existing condition waiting period. If you have 12 or more months of creditable coverage, your waiting period will be eliminated. If you have less than 12 months creditable coverage, your waiting period will be reduced by the number of months you had creditable coverage. For example, if you have two months of creditable coverage, your waiting period will be reduced from 12 months to 10 months.

When inside the U.S.*, Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Solutions members have cashless access to the Blue Cross and Blue Shield network in all fifty states. More than 96% of physicians and more than 91% of hospitals across the U.S. are a part of the BlueCard Network. You can find a doctor in the network by searching the BlueCard network.

Please refer to the following article about the policy usage:
How to Use Your Visitor Insurance

Any cancellation requests must be received by Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Solutions in writing via email, fax or regular mail. There are no cancellation fees or penalties. However, Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Solutions does not refund premium for a partial month. Retroactive cancellations are also not permitted.

You cannot remove one person from the policy if other travelers are included. We recommend letting the current policy lapse with all travelers or canceling and repurchasing for the remaining travelers as per the policy terms.

You will need names, coverage duration, date(s) of birth, home country address, and a valid credit card.

Long Term Worldwide Specialty can cover for COVID-19 and will be treated the same as any other eligible medical condition so long as the virus is contracted after the policy effective date and you have departed from the country of residence. For more in-depth information regarding the impact of the coronavirus on travel insurance, please go to our information hub.

We may terminate your policy if:

• You no longer meet the eligibility requirements
• You fail to pay your premium
• We discover that you committed fraud or misrepresented a material fact to us
• We terminate the plan in your state or geographic service area

You can enroll in a Long Term Worldwide Specialty policy up to age 75. The policy does not automatically extend upon your request. You will be notified of your new plan rate at least 30 days prior to your policy expiration date. You must confirm your new policy rate in writing or by accepting the rate when logged in to our secure website. Plan rates are based on age at time of enrollment and are impacted by medical inflation. You will not be asked any medical questions and your personal health history will not determine your new rate. Long Term Worldwide Specialty rates are standard rates for all members re-enrolling.

The Long Term Worldwide Specialty plan does not cover for the COVID-19 vaccine/booster, but will cover COVID-19 treatment and services the same as any other eligible condition if contracted after the policy effective date. Preventative care related to COVID-19, like vaccines/boosters is not covered under the policy. Please sign in to your account to view your plan specific documents for any limits or exclusions.

Long Term Worldwide Specialty will only cover for COVID-19 testing if the policyholder is experiencing symptoms and the test is ordered by an attending physician for diagnostic purposes. COVID-19 tests to meet travel requirements will not be covered.

The Long Term Worldwide Specialty plan does not offer any coverage for quarantine.

No, Long Term Worldwide Specialty is not a guaranteed issue plan. Each application is medically underwritten. Your application may be 1) accepted or 2) denied.

Policies for applicants residing outside the U.S. are issued through the Global Citizens Association office in Washington D.C. The zip code that applies is 20036. Please enter "20036" or "0" in the quoting tool if applying online while living outside the U.S.

The underwriting time frame depends on the verification of student status listed on the application. Our commitment is to respond to a submission in writing within 24 - 48 hours. In some instances, this may mean that we send a request for additional information to the applicant, such as a copy of a tuition bill, class schedule or letter from the registrar, or to notify the applicant that they erroneously missed a question on the application form. Our turnaround time in these situations will depend on how quickly the applicant responds to our request. If we receive the application before the requested effective date, we can honor the effective date even if the approval comes through thereafter.
If you are applying for coverage as a student only, you are eligible for our expedited underwriting process. If you are a student in need of dependent coverage, an OPT participant or you are a Faculty member/scholar, you will be directed through the normal underwriting process.
In either situation above, the best way to expedite underwriting is to submit verification of your school status with your application.

You do not need to go through medical underwriting when you re-enroll into your current plan design without changes. You may be medically underwritten again if you decide to select different benefits (see below). Plan changes can only be requested at time of re-enrollment.
If a member would like to increase benefits (by lowering a deductible) they must complete a new application. If a member would like to reduce their benefits, they do not need to complete a new underwriting application.

Out-of-pocket expenses are defined as the expenses a member incurs when satisfying the plan's deductible and coinsurance requirements. The deductible and coinsurance level varies based on where treatment is delivered as shown in the table below. The total annual out-of-pocket expense limit is calculated by adding the deductible and coinsurance maximum together. In this example, it is $2,250. Deductibles must be satisfied before any benefit is paid. Coinsurance is applied as a percentage of the payable medical charges. This percentage is only applied to care delivered inside the U.S. and varies depending on whether the care is delivered in-network or out-of-network.

Table illustration

When outside the U.S., Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Solutions has a network of doctors that includes almost every speciality you may need in over 180 countries. Only a small fraction of doctors around the world meet Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Solutions standards - participation is by invitation only. We seek out professionals certified by the American or Royal Board of Medical Specialties who speak English, and we factor in recommendations from over 140 Physician Advisors from all over the world. Then we assemble in-depth profiles so our members can choose with confidence, and we put formal contracts in place to ensure patient access. Once they've seen you, Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Solutions doctors bill us directly so you don't have to file a claim.

Direct billing can also be requested by calling the assistance telephone number listed on your member ID card, or by email. Please note that in the U.S., a member can simply show their ID card at time of service, and participating providers will only bill the member for any required deductible or co-payment.

In the U.S., if a member does not have a participating physician in an appropriate specialty available to them within 25 miles, Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Solutions will apply out-of-network benefits (60%) to the provider they see.

Outside the U.S., 100% coverage always applies after any applicable deductible or co-payment.

This plan does not provide Minimum Essential Coverage and therefore does not meet the requirements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). It is filed as a limited duration policy designed specifically for international living. Coverage by the insurer can be 1) accepted, 2) accepted with a rate increase, or 3) denied based on the health history of the applicants(s) ) (student only applicants can only be accepted or denied). A waiting period for pre-existing conditions applies unless you have 12 months of prior creditable coverage. There is no tax penalty for purchasing this policy if you are outside the U.S. for 330 days or more in a calendar year. For international Students on a J1, F1 or M1 Visa, you are exempted from any tax penalty under the Affordable Care Act. For Americans abroad, there is no tax penalty for purchasing this policy if you are outside the U.S. for 330 days or more in a calendar year.

Long Term Worldwide Specialty can cover Monkeypox and will treat it the same as any other eligible medical condition so long as the virus is contracted after the policy effective date and you have departed your home country. For more information regarding Monkeypox and travel insurance, review the blog about Monkeypox.