Receive care while away from
home using your HMO coverage.
Short Trips (BlueCard
®
Program)
If you need care while away from home, follow
these easy steps:
1. Always carry your current HMO ID card for
easy reference and access to service.
2. In an emergency, go directly to the
nearest hospital.
3. Call your primary care physician for prior
authorization and/or pre-certification.
Non-emergency services rendered
outside the HOI Service Area must be
authorized in advance by HOI in order
to be covered services.
4. To find names and addresses of nearby
doctors and hospitals, visit the BlueCard
Doctor and Hospital Finder Website
www.bcbs.com or call BlueCard Access
at 1-800-810-BLUE [2583].
5. When you arrive at the participating
doctor’s office or hospital, simply present
your HOI ID card.
After you receive care from a participating
provider, you should not have to complete any
claim forms. Nor should you have to pay for
medical services other than your usual
out-of-pocket expenses (non-covered services,
deductible, copayment, and coinsurance).
Always remember to carry your current
HMO ID card. It contains helpful information
for accessing health care when you’re away
from home.
Your health care
coverage goes
with you.
As a Health Options, Inc. (HOI) HMO member,
you have access to certain health care services
across the country. To meet the different health
care needs of members and dependents who
are away from home, HOI offers separate
programs for short trips and long-term stays.
For short trips, the BlueCard
®
Program gives
you access to doctors and hospitals almost
everywhere, giving you the peace of mind
that you’ll always find the care you need.
Non-emergency services rendered outside
the HOI Service Area must be authorized in
advance by HOI in order to be covered.
For longer trips (90 consecutive days or longer),
the Away From Home Care
®
Guest Membership
program may be available for you and your
covered dependents in most states and the
District of Columbia.* This program is designed
to bring you peace of mind if you have a depend-
ent attending school out-of-state, have family
members living in different service areas, or
have a long-term work assignment in another
state. Whatever the reason, you’re eligible for
this program when you’re away from home for
at least 90 days. Coverage is limited to another
Plan’s HMO service area.
Extended Stays
(Away From Home Care
®
Program)
If you will be in a different service area for
at least 90 consecutive days, the Guest
Membership program may provide ongoing
access to the care you need. Here’s how this
program works:
1. If you or a covered dependent are going
to be away from home for at least 90
consecutive days, contact HOI by calling
the Customer Service number on your
ID card.
2. HOI will let you know if a participating HMO
is in the area where you’ll be staying.
3. If a participating HMO is in the area, HOI
will work with you to complete a Guest
Membership application. The application will
be mailed to you for your signature. After
you sign and date the application, return it
to HOI, which will forward it to the partici-
pating Host HMO in your destination
location.
4. The Host HMO will provide you with a
membership ID card, a primary care physician
(you may be asked to choose your own
primary care physician), and instructions
concerning how to access your Host
benefits while using your Guest
Membership in their HMO service area.
5. When you need medical care, you call your
Host HMO primary care physician for an
appointment while in your visiting location.
6. Subscribers are limited to 6 months of
coverage. Dependents may receive coverage
for up to 12 months, with annual renewal.
You won’t have to complete a claim form or pay up
front for your health care services, except for those
out-of-pocket expenses (non-covered services,
deductible, copayment, and coinsurance) that
you’d pay anyway. (Please note that these
payments may be different from those required
by HOI. The Host HMO will communicate this
information to you upon acceptance of your
Guest Membership application.)
* For eligibility information and specific locations
where the Guest Membership program is
available, please contact the customer service
number indicated on your HOI ID card.
