Out-of-Province/Country Benefits

If you have a valid University of Calgary Alberta Blue Cross ID card, and have not waived extended health care coverage, you and your eligible dependents have access to Out of Province Emergency Travel medical coverage from anywhere in the world. The Out of Province Medical Travel Infosheet gives you an overview of this coverage including details of how to access the 24 hour travel assistance services when you or your family are away from home. A medical emergency is a sudden, unexpected occurrence of an unforeseen accident or illness requiring immediate medical attention. We encourage plan members to contact the Alberta Blue Cross travel line directly at 403.225.4289 or toll free 1.888.772.2583 in advance of travel to review the coverage and limitations/exclusions based on your circumstance. These phone numbers are also on the back of your Alberta Blue Cross ID card.

Review the emergency medical provision in your plan booklet before your departure date to determine if you need to purchase more extensive travel assistance insurance under an individual plan, as the travel medical insurance excludes expenses such as trip cancellation or interruption.

Links to the benefit booklets for each staff group are accessible by viewing the “Benefits at a Glance” document for your group. Plan descriptions are also available through your Alberta Blue Cross account.

If you are on a leave of absence, ensure that you are currently participating in the group benefit plan, otherwise you may not have coverage for emergency medical expenses while you are travelling. Academics on a Research and Scholarship leave, consult your benefits booklet for further details as some non-emergent expenses may be eligible.

Employees in Qatar, refer to your Expatriate Health Benefits (available on the intranet) for details.

Coverage for employee Basic Life Insurance and Long Term Disability continue while you travel as long as you remain in a benefit eligible position and participate in the benefit plan. This means that premiums continue to be deducted from your paycheque.

This insurance does not extend to your spouse or dependents. You may choose to participate in the Optional Life Insurance plan for your spouse and/or your dependent children.

The stated principal sum for this benefit is payable in the event you are injured or die as a result of an accident. Coverage under this policy is extended anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day. Should you die resulting from an injury more than 50 km from your normal place of residence and indemnity for such loss becomes payable under this policy, repatriation of remains is available up to $25,000.

This insurance does not extend to your spouse or dependents. You may choose to participate in the Voluntary Accidental Death and Dismemberment insurance for your spouse.

This policy is only applicable to Academic Staff and MaPS.

We strongly encourage plan members to consider all risks of travel and to contact the Alberta Blue Cross travel line directly at 403.225.4289 or toll free 1.888.772.2583 in advance of travel to review the coverage and limitations/exclusions based on your circumstance. These phone numbers are also on the back of your Alberta Blue Cross ID card.

For benefit eligible staff members, your group health coverage through Alberta Blue Cross provides emergency medical coverage while travelling outside the province of Alberta and outside of Canada, including for COVID-19. An emergency, as defined by our contract, means a sudden, unexpected occurrence of an unforeseen accident or illness requiring immediate medial attention. While our plan does not have a travel advisory exclusion, we encourage staff members to keep up to date on travel advisories issued by the Government of Canada as well as important University of Calgary updates. As the global pandemic continues and travel restrictions remain in place, there may be situations where timely access to appropriate medical care is impacted. Travel advisories and border closures may also impact necessary travel in the event of an emergency. In addition, all plan members are subject to quarantine guidelines when arriving at their destination and upon return to Canada.

Alberta Blue Cross is committed to ensuring medical assistance is available, however, there may be environmental circumstances beyond their control that may prevent plan members from obtaining medical care in some areas. Plan members involved in situations in high risk areas should contact Global Affairs Canada for additional support. Should you have other questions regarding your benefit coverage, please contact [email protected] and be sure to visit the university Risk Management travel webpage in advance of any travel.

For other non-health related coverage (Life Insurance, Long Term Disability), there could be other issues that arise. For example, while basic coverage will be provided (e.g. payment of a life claim), some services may not be available depending on the pandemic situation (e.g. may not be able to transport a deceased individual back to Canada, dependent on the rules of the country at the time).

If you are a Postdoctoral Scholar participating in Plan C health benefits, refer to your benefits booklet for details of your Out of Canada emergency medical travel plan. We encourage plan members to contact the Alberta Blue Cross travel line directly at 403.225.4289 or toll free 1.888.772.2583 in advance of travel to review the coverage and limitations/exclusions based on your circumstance. These phone numbers are also on the back of your Alberta Blue Cross ID card.

Coverage for Basic Life Insurance and Long Term Disability continue while you travel as long as you remain in a benefit eligible position.

This insurance does not extend to your spouse or dependents.

The stated principal sum for this benefit is payable in the event you are injured or die as a result of an accident. Coverage under this policy is extended anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day. Should you die resulting from an injury more than 50 km from your normal place of residence and indemnity for such loss becomes payable under this policy, repatriation of remains is available up to $25,000.

Portions of this insurance extend to your spouse or dependents. 

We strongly encourage plan members to consider all risks of travel and to contact the Alberta Blue Cross travel line directly at 403.225.4289 or toll free 1.888.772.2583 in advance of travel to review the coverage and limitations/exclusions based on your circumstance. These phone numbers are also on the back of your Alberta Blue Cross ID card.

Emergency medical care expenses for travel to areas where there has been a travel advisory issued by the Government of Canada are excluded from coverage. If there is a general "avoid non-essential travel" advisory, refer to the Government of Canada website for guidelines regarding essential travel. If there is a travel advisory in place prior to your departure date, there will be no emergency medical coverage through the university benefit plan if the claim is directly related to the reason for the travel advisory warning. For example, if travel is non-essential, and this general advisory is in place for the area you are travelling to, there is no coverage. Travel for essential reasons may also be restricted. If there are no travel advisories in place, medical emergencies related to COVID-19 are included in coverage. The Alberta Blue Cross COVID-19 emergency travel coverage includes extended hospital stays, ventilator costs and transportation home. Coverage will not include vaccines, COVID-19 tests or costs associated with having to quarantine.  Visit Alberta Blue Cross for additional details.

As the global pandemic continues and travel restrictions are advised for Albertans, medical emergencies related to COVID-19 while travelling may not be considered an emergency under the terms of the Alberta Blue Cross group health benefit plan. An emergency means a sudden, unexpected occurrence of an unforeseen accident or illness requiring immediate medial attention. Any claims of this nature submitted to Alberta Blue Cross may be subject to additional review. All regular claims will continue to be paid, subject to the travel advisory and other exclusions in the benefits booklet. In addition, all plan members are subject to quarantine guidelines when arriving at their destination and upon return to Canada.

Plan members involved in any situations in high risk areas should also contact Global Affairs Canada for additional support. Should you have any questions regarding your group benefit coverage, please contact [email protected] and be sure to visit the university Risk Management travel webpage in advance of any travel.

If you are not an eligible employee and you are travelling for university business, refer to the university Risk Management and Insurance international travel website.