This summer, more than 76% of Americans are expected to travel for vacation, and over a quarter will be traveling internationally. With all the planning, packing, and coordinating that goes into a trip, one thing that often gets overlooked is how to take care of your health while you’re on the road. For many, navigating healthcare on the road — especially with traditional insurance — can be confusing, expensive, or even impossible. But for Solidarity Members, staying healthy while traveling doesn’t need to be stressful. Whether you’re exploring another state or another country, we have solutions for the typical problems that you might run into.

Domestic Travel Sharing

With traditional insurance options, when traveling within the United States, it can be difficult to know which providers you can visit. Who is in my network? Am I allowed to go outside of it? Will I be charged more for doing so? These are all very real questions that can turn an urgent care visit into a source of anxiety.

With Solidarity, there is no network of providers that you are restricted to. You can go to any provider that you prefer, and they can bill Solidarity directly. If you find yourself needing to go to the urgent care for an unexpected health issue, you can be confident knowing that any urgent care is an option. Click here for tips on how to use your Membership when visiting a new provider.

Not having a network comes with additional advantages:

• You don’t need to worry about whether a bill will be eligible based on the provider you went to.
• You don’t need to worry about whether you need a referral.
• And you don’t need to worry about whether you will be responsible for more out of pocket, as all bills are applied to your one Annual Unshared Amount (AUA) before being shared.

Telehealth

Another way that you can proactively manage your health while you are traveling is through telehealth. Our Members all have access to 24/7 care with a licensed physician over the phone through DialCare. This makes it extremely convenient to get help, even when going to a doctor isn’t realistic. Whether you need a diagnosis, advice on symptom management, or even a prescription, DialCare can help. You don’t always need to bring your sick toddler to an urgent care at 2:00 a.m. to get the medication they need!

DialCare works all over the country, and they have doctors on call at all times. This program helps families avoid unnecessary doctor’s visits every single day, and gives you the peace of mind you need while you’re traveling. Our program also shares into other telehealth charges if you have a provider who offers telehealth services on their own. Many of our Members have primary care doctors that take calls, or they utilize other telehealth services such as Catholic Counselors’ pastoral telecounseling services. We encourage you to make use of these resources while traveling or at home, as they are very cost effective ways to get the high quality care your family needs. Learn more about DialCare.

International Travel Sharing

But what about the 25%+ of travelers who are traveling internationally? Yes, we share into those bills as well! International billing is a little more complicated than domestic, but it works the same way once it is submitted. International providers aren’t able to bill Solidarity directly, so you will need to pay as a self-pay patient. Make sure that you get an itemized bill from the provider, showing what your service was, the date of service, the diagnosis that was being treated, and what you paid for the service. That bill will then need to be translated into English, and converted to US Dollars before being submitted.

After those steps are completed and the bill is submitted, it is treated the same as any other need we receive. The bill will be evaluated to make sure it is eligible, and if it is, then it will be applied to your AUA, or contributions from other Members will be shared directly with you to reimburse you for the expense.

One thing to keep in mind is that our Member Care Portal can’t be accessed overseas. If needed, you can download a VPN and set your location to the U.S. in order to log in and submit your need. Or you can always wait until you are back in the country!

Travel with Confidence

Solidarity HealthShare gives you the flexibility and peace of mind to enjoy your trip — whether you’re crossing state lines or international borders. No confusing networks. No guesswork. Have a safe, stress-free summer, knowing that wherever you go, Solidarity goes with you, and your community has your back. Safe travels!