Out-of-Area Coverage

BlueCard Program

The BlueCard® Program gives your employees access to covered services–including emergency and urgent care–almost everywhere in the United States and in 170 countries.

HMO plan members have access to BlueCard providers only for urgent or emergency medical needs, or authorized medical follow-up care.

The BlueCard network includes:

  • More than 92% of all providers and 96% of all hospitals in the United States
  • Global access to nearly 50,000 contracted providers in 170 countries through the Blue Shield Global Core Network

To find a participating Blue plan provider:
Your employees can go to our Find a Doctor tool and click Providers outside of CA under “Accessing Care Outside CA” at the bottom of the page, or call BlueCard customer service 24/7 at (800) 810-BLUE (2583).

For more information about accessing care through the BlueCard Program:
Download our BlueCard flyer (PDF, 49 KB) to share with your employees. You can also refer employees to their Evidence of Coverage (EOC) or Certificate of Insurance (COI) booklet.

Away From Home Care Program for HMO members

Through the Away From Home Care® Program, your employees and their covered dependents can access care when they reside outside California in a host plan service area.

To learn more about this program, download our Away from Home Care flyer (PDF, 3.6 MB) or call (800) 622-9402 to speak with an Away From Home Care specialist.