Merrilee Logue, Executive Director of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association National Labor Office, and Lynn Pina, Chief Marketing Officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Solutions, joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast to deliver timely and practical guidance for union members planning international travel this summer.

With more union members than ever traveling abroad — for vacation, work training, conferences and long-term assignments — the conversation addressed one of the most commonly overlooked parts of trip planning: healthcare coverage. Logue and Pina explained why domestic health insurance often does not travel as people expect, what distinguishes travel insurance from travel medical insurance, what 24-hour global support actually looks like, and what simple pre-departure steps every traveler should take before leaving the country.

Domestic health insurance plans frequently do not provide meaningful coverage abroad — in many cases, limiting reimbursement options and requiring travelers to pay for care upfront. This makes a dedicated travel medical insurance plan essential for international travel. If you need a passport, you need a travel medical plan, Pina said.
Travel insurance and travel medical insurance serve fundamentally different purposes that are routinely confused. Travel insurance protects the financial investment in a trip through coverage for cancellations, delays and lost luggage. Travel medical insurance is specifically designed to cover the cost of healthcare abroad and help travelers find, access and pay for the right care. This can include transportation to an appropriate facility in another country or back home if necessary.
Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Solutions travel medical plans include 24-hour support teams that help travelers identify appropriate care, not just the nearest option, as well as providing global telemedicine at no cost for minor issues like stomach bugs, infections and rashes. Additional services include provider finders for local doctors and hospitals, medication equivalency tools and language support for communicating with local providers. The entire package is designed so travelers are not left navigating an unfamiliar healthcare system alone.

The Part of Travel Planning Most People Skip

Passports. Itineraries. Hotel bookings. Flight confirmations. Union members heading abroad this summer have thought about all of it. Healthcare planning, Merrilee Logue and Lynn Pina said in today's second segment, is the one that tends to get left off the list — and the one whose absence is most acutely felt when something goes wrong in a foreign country.

During this peak travel season, more union members are traveling internationally than ever — for vacation, work training, conferences and extended assignments. Logue and Pina both said the conversation about what healthcare actually looks like abroad is one the labor community needs to have before they board a plane.

Your Domestic Plan Probably Does Not Travel With You

The most common misconception Pina encounters is the assumption that because a worker has health insurance at home, they are covered abroad. They often are not, at least not in any meaningful way. Domestic plans frequently limit or exclude reimbursement for care received outside the United States, and when reimbursement is available, it often requires the traveler to pay for care upfront first. That means arriving in a foreign country, needing medical attention and discovering that the financial protection a worker has relied on for years does not apply.

Pina stressed the importance of understanding your coverage before you travel. For union members whose travel is work-related, that means checking with a benefits manager about what the employer or union-sponsored plan covers internationally. For personal travel, it means understanding the coverage gap and considering a dedicated travel medical plan designed specifically for international coverage.

Travel Insurance vs. Travel Medical Insurance

Logue raised a distinction that travel insurance and travel medical insurance are not the same product. Travel insurance protects the financial investment in the trip — covering cancellations, delays, interruptions and lost luggage. Travel medical insurance protects the traveler's health. It covers the cost of medical care abroad and, just as importantly, provides the access and support infrastructure that helps a traveler find the right care, get wherever that is and pay for it.

The difference matters most when something serious happens. A traveler with only trip cancellation coverage who needs medical evacuation to an appropriate facility is on their own. A traveler with a travel medical plan has a 24-hour support team, coordination of care and coverage for transportation to wherever the right level of care is available — including back home.

What Support Looks Like in Practice

Pina walked through what global support actually means for travelers covered through a Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Solutions travel medical plan. Around-the-clock support teams help identify where to get appropriate care — not just the nearest option, but one matched to the nature of the situation. If care at the local level is inadequate, those teams coordinate transport to a more appropriate facility, whether in another country or back in the United States.

For the everyday situations that are far more common than medical emergencies — a stomach bug, food poisoning, a rash, a minor infection — global telemedicine is available at no cost. A traveler can connect with a provider from their hotel room, get guidance and, where local laws allow, receive a prescription without disrupting their plans or setting foot in an unfamiliar clinic. Provider finder tools help locate local doctors, hospitals and clinics. Medication equivalency tools identify the foreign equivalent of a U.S. prescription. Language support helps travelers communicate clearly with local providers. It is all about helping travelers find, access and pay for the right care, without unnecessary stress, Pina said.

Preparation Steps Every Traveler Should Take

Logue offered a practical pre-departure checklist that applies whether the trip is a vacation, a union conference or a long-term international assignment. Check recommended vaccines for the destination. Bring enough medication for the full trip, plus extra in case of delays. Keep medications in their original packaging and in a carry-on bag. Have a copy of key health information, particularly for travelers managing chronic conditions. And finally, take a few minutes to understand how healthcare works at the destination — where you would go for care and how the system operates. Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Solutions offers country-specific healthcare guides on its website that walk travelers through this process.

For union members on longer-term international assignments of six months or more, the needs are meaningfully different from a short leisure trip, and the coverage required is correspondingly more comprehensive. Pina said those situations warrant dedicated expatriate-level global health coverage rather than a standard travel medical plan.

A Simple Takeaway for Summer Travel

With an extra week of summer in 2026 — a calendar alignment that will not recur until 2037 — this is the year to make the most of international travel plans. Both guests closed with the same message: make healthcare planning part of your travel planning. Spend a few minutes understanding what coverage and support you will have if something goes wrong. With the right plan in place, the focus can stay where it belongs — on the trip itself.

More information is available by following @BlueLabor on LinkedIn and X, and through the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association National Labor Office.

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