Get care and prescriptions while you’re traveling

Whether you’re traveling or not, you should always have your physical or digital Kaiser Permanente member ID card with you. It has important information like your medical record number, which you’ll need to get care and prescriptions. You can find your digital ID card in our app. You can also use the app to access your medical record and get 24/7 virtual care.¹

Your care options and costs depend on which health plan you have and where you get care. Before you travel, be sure to log in and review your benefits and coverage at kp.org/benefits.

In Kaiser Permanente areas, you can visit any Kaiser Permanente facility and pay your normal copay, coinsurance, or deductible for care and prescriptions — no need to file a claim for reimbursement later.

Outside Kaiser Permanente areas, your care options and payment experience may vary. In the U.S., you’ll often pay your normal copay, coinsurance, or deductible for:

• 24/7 virtual care from Kaiser Permanente¹
• Urgent care from select providers
• Prescriptions from an urgent or emergency care visit⁵

For other urgent and emergency care and prescriptions, you may need to pay the full cost upfront and file a claim for reimbursement later.⁶

Learn more about costs and claims while traveling.

If you’re in the U.S., you may be able to have nonurgent prescriptions delivered to you at no extra cost. Visit kp.org/pharmacyservices to learn more about your options. Kaiser Permanente prescription delivery isn’t available in Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, or South Carolina.

If prescription delivery isn’t available near you or you need your medication right away, you can fill it at any pharmacy and file a claim for reimbursement later.⁶ Just make sure you have refills left on your prescription and the following information ready:

• Your Kaiser Permanente medical record number
• Names and phone numbers for the prescribing doctor and your current pharmacy
• Your prescribed medication’s name, strength, and directions for use

While you’re away at college, your coverage and care options depend on what plan you have and where you get care.

Getting care in a Kaiser Permanente area: If you’ve gotten Kaiser Permanente care in that area before, your experience will be the same. If you’re in a Kaiser Permanente area where you’ve never gotten care, you’ll just need to create a new medical record number to schedule appointments and manage your care.

If you’re a Medicaid or Medi-Cal member, please note that your plan doesn’t cover routine in-person care outside of your home area. But you can still get 24/7 virtual care.¹

Getting care outside a Kaiser Permanente area: You’re covered for urgent and emergency care when and where you need it.⁴ In the U.S., you can also get 24/7 virtual care from a Kaiser Permanente clinician online or through our app.¹

Try to get routine in-person care like checkups and vaccines when you’re back home, or consider getting a student health plan through your school for more coverage.

If you’re a Medicaid or Medi-Cal member, please note that your plan doesn’t cover most international care. If you’re planning to travel outside the U.S., you may want to consider travel medical insurance for extra health coverage.

Learn more about getting care while away at college.

Outside the U.S., Medicaid members aren’t covered for care, and Medi-Cal members are only covered for emergency care that requires hospitalization in Canada and Mexico. If you have one of these plans and are planning an international trip, you may want to consider travel medical insurance for extra health coverage.

All other Kaiser Permanente plans cover urgent and emergency care anywhere in the world.^1,4 You’ll need to pay the full cost of care upfront, but you can file a claim for reimbursement later.⁶

For more details about your coverage, please check your Evidence of Coverage or other coverage documents.