Business travel has significantly decreased due to COVID-19, but now it’s more important than ever to make sure you’re covered while traveling. Staying covered means more than just masks. Consult these components of your health insurance to ensure that your travel checklist is complete.
1. Check your travel coverage.
Your health insurance plan may offer travel services you may not even know about. At Priority Health, members have 24/7 access to Assist America® at no extra cost. It’s available whenever members are more than 100 miles from home or in another country. Coverage includes:
- Medical emergency services: Access to quality medical care including medical referrals, emergency medical evacuation, prescription assistance and more.
- Travel emergency services: Help with lost luggage or documents, legal and interpreter referrals and care for minor children and pets when experiencing a travel emergency. Plus, pre-trip planning services including visa and immunization requirements, security and natural disaster alerts and more.
Multilingual, trained and emergency-dispatch certified assistance coordinators are available to help 24 hours a day, 365 days a year with one-touch access through the free app.
2. Log in and stay healthy.
In addition to emergency travel services, you should know your options for smaller, non-life threatening illnesses. Sickness can happen, especially when you’re sleep-deprived and jet lagged while on a business trip. Not being near a doctor can complicate things further.
Being prepared in these situations can save you money and help get you back to business faster. When you need care for a non-life threatening medical issue, an ER or urgent care visit can be a pricey and time-consuming option. A virtual visit is the perfect alternative for conditions like fever, sore throats, allergies or minor sprains.
Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, a virtual visit connects you with a board-certified doctor at the tip of your fingers. Often, they’re available through your doctor or insurance plan. Priority Health provides access to virtual care through MyHealth, or as a standalone application on a smartphone or tablet.
Virtual visits are also cost effective, starting around $45 or less depending on your plan coverage, whereas a trip to the ER can cost hundreds. So, don’t forget to charge your device between meetings in case you need access to virtual care.
3. Pack smart.
Nobody wants to spend time running to a nearby pharmacy or convenience store for an over-the-counter medication or first aid supply while traveling. Avoid the chaos and pack the medications and supplies you tend to use most during the time of travel. If you’re currently taking a prescription medication, make sure you have enough to get you through your trip. And if you’re flying and planning to pack your prescriptions in a carry-on, keep them in an easily accessible location in case a TSA agent needs to examine them.
You should also include basic first aid supplies like a thermometer, bandages, ibuprofen or aspirin. Having these items on hand can save you money and keep you from scrambling if you need relief during your travels. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has this helpful list to help you pack smart for any trip. With COVID-19 requirements, be sure to also pack extra masks.
Wherever your work plans take you, remember that planning ahead will help you stay safe and healthy during your travels.
