Travel Emergencies
As part of the Extended Health Care (EHC) plan, the Alberta School Employee Benefit Plan (ASEBP) offers comprehensive health and limited dental coverage for emergency expenses while you’re travelling outside your province, or territory, of residence. These Emergency Travel benefits are automatically in effect from the time you cross the provincial, or territorial, border or, if travelling by airplane, when the airplane takes off. These Emergency Travel benefits stop when you cross back into your province of residence, or when the airplane lands.
Coverage for travel emergencies includes medical evacuation or transportation, such as air evacuation, for all travel outside your province of residence. Exception: travel for medical advice or treatment, or as a covered member you are travelling to accompany someone else for medical advice or treatment. For details, visit What's not Covered.
In the event of a medical emergency, immediately call the applicable emergency access number to speak with a medical travel advisor. Please be prepared to quote your group and identification numbers—available on your ASEBP ID card on the My ASEBP Mobile App—as well as travel plan number 679.
- Toll-free in Canada and USA: 1-888-772-2583
- In all other countries, or if you have difficulties with the toll-free number, call collect: 1-403-225-4289
Note that the following is a comprehensive summary of the official, legally binding ASEBP insurance policies and plan documents available through your employer or by contacting us.
What's covered?
Your EmergencyTravel benefits cover reasonable and customary costs for emergency services that are more than the amount paid by your provincial health care insurance plan, as long as the attending, licensed health care provider certifies that they were required for emergency treatment.
Note: The overall maximum per person per incident is $5 million.
Resources
What's not covered?
The following list includes items not covered by your Emergency Travel benefits as well as circumstances in which your EmergencyTravel benefits would not be paid. Note: this list is not exhaustive.
- Accommodation, living, parking and travel expenses (outside of what is listed under What’s Covered)
- Additional costs for medical supplies purchased from providers inside and outside Canada (e.g. shipping, duty)—unless related to oxygen and supplies required for its use
- All expenses incurred as a result of conduct that would constitute an indictable offence within Canada
- Baggage and cancellation insurance
- Coffin, in the event you or your dependant pass away
- Interest charges on any item or service
- Non-emergency prescription medication and hospital accommodations
- Non-emergency services normally covered by your provincial health care plan (e.g. doctor visits, surgery) for dependants attending school outside of their province of residence
- If expenses are fully covered under any other benefits you or your dependant may have; payment by all benefit providers cannot exceed 100 per cent of the eligible expense
- If expenses are due to:
- Abuse of alcohol, medication, non-prescription drugs or toxic substances
- Conducting or trying to conduct a criminal act under the legislation of the local region
- Directly participating in a revolt, a declared or undeclared war or act of war, the hostile action of any country’s armed forces, hijacking or terrorism, a riot, civil commotion or any other act of aggression or service in the armed forces
- Driving a motorized vehicle while impaired by drugs, toxic substances or a blood alcohol level of more than 0.08
- If expenses are incurred in a country, region or city for which the Government of Canada has issued a formal travel advisory; the advisory must state that Canadians should avoid non-essential travel to that location and be issued prior to your departure date
- Exception: if the incident is unrelated to the travel advisory, expenses are covered
- If hospitalization or treatment occurs in a hospital other than a general active treatment hospital (e.g. chronic care hospital, convalescent hospital, nursing home or health spa)
- If the medical travel advisor is not contacted within 24 hours of hospitalization
- If travel is booked or started contrary to medical advice or if medical attention is anticipated during the travel period
- If you or your dependant are medically able to be transferred to another hospital or returned home but refuse to comply with the transfer request, ASEBP is no longer responsible for any expenses, whether related to the initial incident or not
- If you or your dependant travel outside your province or territory of residence primarily for hospitalization or services in connection with:
- A “rest cure” or travel for health
- Cosmetic procedures
- Experimental or unconventional procedures
- General medical exams for "check-up" purposes
- Ongoing maintenance of an existing medical condition
- Rehabilitation or ongoing care for alcohol, drug or any other substance abuse
- Seeking medical advice or a second opinion
- Surgery
- Treatment, even if the trip is on the medical recommendation of a licensed health care provider, including any claim arising during the trip even if unrelated to the reason for travel
- For example, if an individual travels outside Canada to access treatment for a heart condition and requires emergency medical treatment due to a car accident, no claims will be covered for the car accident
- Exclusion of coverage extends to any ASEBP covered member, including listed dependants, if primary intent of travel is to seek medical treatment or advice. For example, if listed dependants travel in a car driven by the individual who is on their way to a pre-scheduled appointment for medical advice/treatment and they get into a car accident along the way, claims will not be covered as the purpose of being in the car is the same for all dependant passengers.
- Pregnancy or childbirth complications, including treatment for the newborn, if the medical emergency occurs after 32 weeks of gestation