OffBeat BluesNews

■ First up, this item from our friends at GeoBlue (one of our travel medical plan vendors):

"The last thing you want is for one of your clients to be surprised by their coverage, or lack thereof, while living abroad ... it is important to understand options available and how pre-existing coverage may vary between competitors. Preexisting conditions may be covered from day one, pending proof of credible coverage."

This is indeed a critical point, and one that may get short shrift, especially when dealing with folks not just on a cruise or vacation, but especially those who have decided to move to a different country. Regular readers may recall the strange case of Courtney Wilson, for example.

The GeoBlue folks explain that their ex-pat plans "strive to cover as many pre-existing conditions as possible" (at a price, of course).

So, something to consider when contemplating that move abroad.

■ "Hey Alexa, what does 'co-insurance' mean?"

Yup, the hi-tech folks at Anthem are now offering a direct line from your Alexa device to a number of online services, including:

• Access to their health savings account (HSA) or health reimbursement account (HRA) balance

• Ability to check how close they are to their health plan’s deductible or out-of-pocket amounts

• Help finding definitions for more than 200 insurance terms

And more.

This can even include access to dental plan info (where applicable).

Caveat: Might want to avoid calling out "Hey Alexa, it hurts when I do this."

Just sayin'.

Share :