Does Highmark Cover Foreign Travel Emergencies?

Yes — Highmark does cover foreign travel emergencies, but what you get and how you collect depends on which Highmark plan you carry. Commercial members tap into the Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Core network in more than 190 countries. Medicare members get foreign emergency coverage through certain Medigap letters or through a Medicare Advantage plan like Freedom Blue. In almost every case, you pay the foreign provider first and file for reimbursement after you get home.¹²

Commercial Plans: Global Core Coverage

If you have a Highmark plan through an employer, the ACA marketplace, or as an individual policy, you are automatically enrolled in Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Core when you travel.¹ On PPO plans such as PreferredBlue or CommunityBlue Direct, a genuine emergency abroad is paid at the in-network benefit level even if the treating provider is out of network.³ You still owe your normal deductible, copay, coinsurance, and any charges for noncovered services.⁴

Highmark cautions that overseas coverage can differ from your domestic benefits and recommends calling the Member Service number on your ID card before you leave to confirm what applies to your specific plan.⁴

Medigap: Foreign Travel Emergency Benefit

Original Medicare on its own almost never pays for care outside the United States.⁵ A Highmark Medigap policy fills that hole, but only on certain plan letters. Plans C, D, F, G, M, and N include a foreign travel emergency benefit.⁶ Plans A and B do not.⁷

Because Medigap benefits are federally standardized, the foreign travel terms are the same across insurers:

A $250 annual deductible.
80% of billed charges for medically necessary emergency care, with you paying the remaining 20%.
A $50,000 lifetime maximum.
Care must begin within the first 60 days of the trip.

Medical evacuation back to the United States is not part of the standard Medigap foreign travel benefit.⁸ One eligibility note: Plans C and F are closed to anyone who first became Medicare-eligible on or after January 1, 2020.⁹

Medicare Advantage: Freedom Blue and Worldwide Emergency Care

Highmark’s Medicare Advantage plans, including the Freedom Blue PPO line, cover emergency and urgently needed care worldwide.¹⁰ Highmark’s own network-sharing material states that “emergency and urgent care are always covered at the highest level of coverage” regardless of where a member is.¹¹

For the 2026 Freedom Blue PPO Classic plan, the copay is $130 for an emergency room visit and $50 for urgently needed care, applied the same way whether the provider is in or out of network.¹² Foreign hospitals cannot bill Medicare directly, so you’ll generally pay the provider yourself and submit an itemized bill to Highmark for reimbursement once you’re back home.¹⁰

What Isn’t Covered: Medical Evacuation

Standard Highmark plans and the Medigap foreign travel benefit generally do not pay for medical evacuation back to the United States.⁸ The U.S. State Department recommends buying separate medical evacuation insurance, particularly for destinations with limited medical facilities.¹³ Highmark’s own site points members toward Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Solutions for standalone trip policies that include evacuation benefits.¹⁴

Finding Care Abroad

When you need a doctor or hospital in another country, Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Core gives you three ways to search:

The online portal at BCBSGlobalCore.com, which lists providers and lets you submit claims.
The BCBS Global Core mobile app for iPhone and Android, which includes provider search, medical terminology translation, and local emergency numbers.¹⁵
The 24-hour Global Core Service Center at 1-800-810-BLUE (2583) from the United States, or 1-804-673-1177 collect from abroad.¹⁶

At a participating Global Core hospital, the facility can often bill Highmark directly for inpatient care, so you only pay your usual share. Outside that network, expect to pay the full bill at the time of service and seek reimbursement afterward.¹⁵

Filing a Claim After Care Abroad

If you paid out of pocket overseas, you file an international claim to get reimbursed. For inpatient care arranged through the Service Center, call 1-800-810-2583 (or 1-804-673-1177 collect) to arrange direct billing, and contact Highmark separately at the number on your ID card for any precertification or preauthorization.⁴

For outpatient care, or inpatient care you didn’t arrange in advance, download the Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Core International Claim Form from BCBSGlobalCore.com. Submit the completed form with your original itemized bills by mail, through the online portal, or through the mobile app.⁴ Claims can also be emailed to claims@bcbsglobalcore.com or mailed to the Service Center at P.O. Box 2048, Southeastern, PA 19399.¹⁷ You have 18 months from the date of service to file.¹⁸

Before You Leave

A few things are worth sorting out before your trip:

Carry your Highmark ID card. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield symbols are recognized internationally and the card is what verifies your eligibility for Global Core services.³
Fill prescriptions ahead of time. Medicare drug plans cannot cover medications bought outside the United States, and Highmark advises members traveling for more than a month to pre-fill the next month’s prescriptions before leaving.¹⁰
Watch the six-month rule on Medicare Advantage. Medicare guidelines generally limit time away from your plan’s service area to six months a year; staying longer may force a disenrollment.¹¹
Call the Member Service number on your ID card to confirm exactly what your plan pays for abroad before you go.⁴

1
Highmark. Access to Care
2
Highmark. Highmark ACA Product Brochure
3
Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. On the Road
4
Penn State Human Resources. BCBS Global Core Flyer
5
Medicare.gov. Medicare Coverage Outside the United States
6
Highmark. Highmark Medigap Plan Comparison
7
Healthline. Highmark Medicare Supplement
8
MedicareResources.org. A Medicare Enrollees Guide to Travel Coverage
9
Medicare.gov. Compare Medigap Plan Benefits
10
Highmark. Best Medicare Plan for Travelers
11
Highmark Blue Shield. PPO Network Sharing
12
Highmark. Freedom Blue PPO Classic Annual Notice of Change
13
U.S. Department of State. Insurance for Overseas Travel
14
Highmark. Highmark Plans
15
CareFirst. BlueCard and Global Core
16
BCBS. Travel International Health Coverage
17
BCBS New Mexico. How Do I Submit a Claim for Services Received Internationally
18
BCBS Global Solutions. Claims Help