Whether you have received treatment abroad in a hospital, clinic or doctor’s office, or filled a prescription, be sure to save your receipts. Also, try to get the doctor’s, or hospital’s, write-up in English. Anthem Blue Cross provides translation services, but having information about your treatment in English will speed your claim.

In addition, if you pay by credit card, the billing will be in dollars, making the process of reimbursement both simpler and at a better exchange rate.

Similar procedures apply for Delta Dental as well, plus Delta will make allowances for out-of-network treatment when abroad. When you return home, you can use the standard claims forms to get reimbursed.

All these scenarios share a common element—you’re abroad and you need medical help. Fortunately, friendly people guide you to the help you need. In addition, you are able to pay your bills with a credit card or a pile of traveler’s checks, or you arrange a wire transfer of funds from your bank. But now, you have a whole new set of concerns and questions:

• Will your insurance cover the bills?
• What do you need to do to get reimbursed?
• Should you have gone to a different doctor or hospital?
• Is there a network provider over here, and did you cost yourself extra by not asking?

Since plans differ in what they cover and how they process overseas claims, there is no standard answer to these questions. For those with Group Insurance Trust plans—ProtectPlus, Delta Dental, and Vision Service Plan—there is good news.

Your policies will reimburse you for emergency care while out of the country.

You will, of course, have to provide the appropriate paperwork, and that will be easier if you are prepared in advance and know what to ask for. Below is a broad outline of how ProtectPlus coverage works and how you can make the most efficient use of it.

If you are not covered by GIT plans, you should make a point of reading your policies and asking your agent questions before traveling abroad. Of course, if you’re not covered when out of the country, or if your coverage is too limited and you travel frequently, you might want to find a different plan, or you can get a short-term travel medical insurance policy.

ProtectPlus Coverage Abroad

All ProtectPlus policies cover claims for emergency and urgent care outside the U.S. and U.S. Territories.Moreover, these policies generally waive out-of-network charges and pre-authorization requirements for inpatient hospital admissions and certain outpatient services.

All treatment, however, must qualify as either a medical emergency or an urgent care situation. The latter is defined as a “sudden, serious, or unexpected illness, injury or condition…which requires immediate care for the relief of severe pain or diagnosis and treatment of such condition.”

There are in-network or recommended providers in most foreign locations. For a list online of hospitals and doctors worldwide, go to BlueCares. Left click on BlueCard Worldwide, and follow the instructions there. ProtectPlus prescription drug benefits are the same abroad as those provided in a subscriber’s policy. Nevertheless, because it can be difficult to get a prescription filled overseas, it is advisable to obtain an adequate supply of medications before leaving.

Physicians will usually write “vacation” prescriptions with a 30-day supply. Since dispensing regulations vary from country to country, if your medications are lost or stolen when abroad, inquire at local pharmacies about their procedures and/or contact your medical provider at home.