Worldwide Travel Accident Insurance Coverage

NOTE: This appendix is intended for faculty and staff traveling internationally on University business. Students planning to travel should contact the Education Abroad Office on their campus and refer to Administrative Policy: Education Abroad Opportunities: Addressing Health and Safety Risks.

International Insurance Requirement

All University of Minnesota faculty and staff travelers are required to register their international University-purpose travel prior to departure. As a part of that registration, all travelers are required to have international insurance coverage, either through Redpoint or the University’s contracted insurance vendor. Some travelers will be required to have coverage through the contracted insurance vendor.

Coverage for UPlan Members

The Redpoint  program provides UPlan members with worldwide emergency medical assistance including assistance with emergency evacuations and repatriations and other travel assistance services when you are 100 or more miles away from home.

Coverage is for any travel, business or personal, and is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Coverage is limited to 90 days.

You are automatically enrolled in the program when you enroll in any of the current University of Minnesota medical plans. There is no additional cost for this benefit.

Information on the complete Redpoint program is available at the Human Resources Website or you can contact Human Resources at 612-624-8647 or 800-756-2363, option 1.

Comprehensive Travel Health and Security Insurance (CISI)

All University of Minnesota faculty and staff travelers are required to purchase CISI insurance when traveling abroad for University-purpose travel, if they are not covered by Redpoint through a U-Plan, if their travel is longer than 90 days, or if they are traveling with students. Additionally, some departments (including GPS Alliance) do require their staff to have CISI for all University-purpose international travel. All faculty and staff have the option of obtaining this additional coverage for University-purpose travel, and the cost is a reimbursable travel expense.

Why do faculty and staff choose to obtain CISI coverage on top of their Redpoint benefits?

Redpoint does not provide international health insurance but simply facilitates use of your U.S. health insurance benefits for care overseas. If you receive medical care while abroad it will be your insurer (e.g., Medica) that you will work with. For many employees, out-of network limits (commonly 80%-20%) may apply. With CISI, you’ll receive 100% coverage within the limits of the policy and the ease of working with a company whose number one job is working with overseas travelers. They typically do not reject claims that are commonly rejected by U.S. insurance companies. Both CISI and Redpoint provide medical evacuation and repatriation coverage to cover employees in the most dire of situations. Unlike Redpoint, CISI does not have a 90 day coverage limit.

What are the details for the University of Minnesota’s CISI policy?

The U of M’s CISI policy provides no deductible, no co-pay comprehensive medical coverage including any medically-necessary clinic visits, hospitalization, prescription drugs, and more. It also includes mental health care, coverage for pre-existing conditions, a family reunion benefit, replacement of broken/lost contacts/glasses, and travel assistance as well as medical and security evacuation and/return of mortal remains.

How do I use CISI while abroad?

When you need medical care, you will usually pay for the service and submit receipts for reimbursement using the form included with the policy. If the medical cost is high or the situation is an emergency, CISI can arrange direct payment to the hospital.

Travelers wishing to purchase CISI will have the opportunity to do so and provide payment information as a part of the Faculty/Staff Travel Registry process. See the GPS Alliance International Travel Registry for more details and to submit a registration. For more information,  contact Global Programs and Strategy Alliance (GPS Alliance) at 612-624-5580 or [email protected].