MINNETONKA, Minn., August 3, 2006 — Medica today announced a travel benefit that allows members to receive in-network benefits outside of the health plan’s service area. The travel benefit is provided at no cost to members or groups providing coverage to its employees. It is effective for groups that are new to Medica or renew after April 1, 2006.
The benefit works just like obtaining care in Medica’s service area. Members visit a participating provider and need only to present their member identification card at the point of service. Standard copayments or coinsurance will apply and there is no additional paperwork. Participating providers are available through UnitedHealthCare Options PPO, a network that includes more than 500,000 physicians, 4,600 hospitals and 73,000 ancillary providers. To locate a participating network provider, members may visit
www.mymedica.com or
www.medica.com and click “Find A Doctor” to access the travel network. They also may call the service phone number listed on the back of their member identification card.
The travel benefit was created to provide health care access to travelers with urgent, chronic or emergency care needs. It is designed for members in fully insured and self-insured products and will be available as groups renew.
“This is yet another example of how Medica continues to offer our members flexibility and convenience,” said Rich Sykora, Medica’s vice president and general manager of product and account service. “This will be a great benefit to our members who travel a lot for business or pleasure.”
Although the benefit covers all types of care, Medica encourages members to receive routine or elective care from their primary doctor whenever possible to ensure continuity of care and appropriate ongoing treatment.
About Medica Medica is a 1.3 million-member health insurance company headquartered in Minneapolis and active in the Upper Midwest. The non-profit company provides health care coverage in the employer, individual, Medicaid, Medicare and Medicare Part D markets in Minnesota and a growing number of counties in North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Medica also offers national network coverage to employers who also have employees outside the Medica regional network.
Medica has the highest accreditation status, Excellent, from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA®) for its Minnesota Medicaid HMO plans and commercial health plans in Minnesota and North Dakota. Medica’s vision is to become the community’s health plan of choice, trusted for its integrity, respected for its service, and admired for its commitment to innovation and efficiency.
For more information, contact:Greg Bury, Medica
952-992-8437
Cellular: 612-810-4556
E-mail:
greg.bury@medica.com###