KEYSTONE HEALTH PLAN EAST PROTECTING YOUR COLLEGE STUDENT
May 21, 2003

As you prepare your child for college - nothing is more important then making arrangements for the continuation of his or her healthcare while away from home.

Through the national Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), Keystone Health Plan East (KHPE) offers the Away From Home Care® Program that includes a guest membership benefit. Through guest memberships, you and your dependents can access benefits while temporarily residing outside the KHPE service area (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties).

To qualify for a guest membership, your out-of-area college student(s) must be:

• Eligible under your employer’s dependent eligibility requirement and currently enrolled with KHPE.
• Residing out of the area for 90 days or more.
• Residing in a county where a participating BCBSA plan offers guest membership.

If your child qualifies, here’s how to enroll:

Contact KHPE Member Services at (215) 241-2240 at least 30 days before your child leaves for school. KHPE Member Services will complete your guest membership application over the phone.

The application, along with an authorization to release information to the host HMO, will be sent to you for completion. Please note, the guest membership application cannot be sent to the host HMO without your signed authorization.

After your application is processed, your child will receive new benefit information, including a new ID card from the host HMO. Please be aware that the benefits may differ from your current plan.

The guest student is responsible for complying with all host HMO requirements for accessing care. These requirements will be provided when the guest membership registration is complete. One requirement is that the student selects a Primary Care Provider from the host HMO’s network. If your child returns home and needs to see a doctor, you must contact KHPE Member Services.

You must re-enroll your child in the guest membership program four weeks prior to the end date indicated on your application. Documentation verifying student eligibility will not automatically continue your guest membership.

For help with your benefit questions, policy changes, claim issues, and lost cards contact a benefits specialist at The Administrators, Inc. (TAI) at (800) 634-4428 or click here to use our online Chat Feature. To learn more about the different insurance benefits available through TAI contact a TAI Account Executive.

Download a printable version of this article (Adobe Acrobat required)

Would you like to receive more BeneFits? Sign up for a free subscription today!