Travelling should be fun. You should be able to enjoy yourself and not worry about what to do if something goes wrong. That’s why Alberta Blue Cross® travel coverage includes a 24-hour travel assistance service. Here’s a few ways they can help you if you encounter an unexpected medical emergency while you are travelling.
Emergency support
If you’re travelling outside Alberta and experience a medical emergency, our travel assistance service provider will be there for you. They can help direct you to an appropriate clinic or hospital and where appropriate provide pre-approval for your treatment. In fact, you should attempt to contact them prior to receiving any substantial medical attention, or have someone do so on your behalf, to confirm in advance that you’ll be covered for those services.
Based on your benefits, travel assistance can also provide a long list of support services for both medical and other emergencies.
Medical assistance
- providing support in most major languages, 24 hours a day, seven days a week;
- monitoring your medical treatment and keeping family members informed;
- providing information and coordinating with the hospital or physician; and
- providing referrals and coordinating with government embassies, airlines, tour operators, travel agents and others who will assist in the event of an emergency.
Medical transportation
- assist with arranging for your transportation home when you’ve been medically cleared and pre-approved to do so;
- organizing transportation for a family member or friend to your hospital bedside, if needed; and
- coordinating the return home of your travelling companion or dependant, if necessary, if you’re hospitalized.
Payment arrangements
- coordinating payment to the hospital or physician, when possible.
Additional services
- arranging contact with family members, business partners or your family physician, as required;
- provide assistance should you happen to lose your passport or airline ticket; and
- referral to legal counsel in the case of a serious accident.
When you shouldn’t contact travel assistance
While our travel assistance service provider is great for emergencies, it’s not intended for general or non-urgent inquiries about your coverage. If you need to change your dates of travel or have questions about your coverage, contact us prior to leaving. If you’ve already left and want to stay longer than initially planned, contact us to extend your trip coverage. Call us at 1-800-661-6995. Our office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. MT, Monday to Friday.
How to contact travel assistance
All of our Alberta Blue Cross® travel ID cards provide contact information for our travel assistance service provider; whenever you’re travelling, be sure to keep this card handy.
Contact information is also available on our “Who to contact in an emergency” page. For more details, visit our “When to contact us” frequently asked questions page.
