Peace of Mind When Your Child is at College

In June, it seems the summer will last forever. Then all of sudden it is August and you are getting ready to send your son or daughter back to college or to college for the first time. It’s nice to know that they carry their Service Benefit Plan coverage with them. Here are some tips to make sure they have everything they need should they require medical care.

Preferred Provider Directory

If your child is going to a college away from home, he or she may not know a local Preferred provider or how to locate one. Using the online Provider Directory, this information is at their fingertips. You can locate Preferred physicians, hospitals, pharmacies and other health care professionals using the directory. If you want your child to be really prepared, you can go online to the directory before he or she leaves, locate the providers where they are going to school, and create and print a personalized directory for them.

Another good thing about using Preferred providers is that you don’t have to worry about filing claims. The Preferred provider files it for you and our payment goes directly to the provider.

Is your child traveling overseas? There is also a list of providers overseas in the online directory for you to reference.

ID Cards

Showing the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Service Benefit Plan ID card when you need care is important. In a Preferred physician’s office, this means your child only pays a copayment for an office visit. If they need prescriptions, showing the ID card at the Preferred pharmacy ensures they only have to pay a coinsurance or copayment amount and not the total charge.

If your child does not have their own copy of your ID card, you can get one online. Just go to our Customer eService feature and you can request duplicate ID cards. If you have more than one child away at school, make sure they each have their own card in case they need medical care.

Blue Health Connection

When you are away from home, sometimes you just need someone to talk to about your health concerns. Blue Health Connection provides registered nurses who ask the right questions and help you decide what type of medical care is appropriate or if self-care is the right choice. The nurse will even call you back to make sure you are alright. The number for Blue Health Connection is on the back of the ID card.

Benefits

Your child can also go online to check out benefits so they know up front how much they will pay in out-of-pocket expenses. A copy of the 2011 Service Benefit Plan brochure as well as at-a-glance benefit charts are available on our web site.

Make sure your child is prepared as he or she leaves home for college. When you pack up the clothes, lap top, bed linens and furniture, give them their Service Benefit Plan ID card so they are ready for anything.

Written by Paula Spurway, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Resources: www.fepblue.org ; 2009 Blue Cross and Blue Shield Service Benefit Plan brochure (RI 71-005).

Page last updated: September 07, 2011