Travel Assistance

UC students and employees traveling on UC-affiliated business are eligible for 24/7 emergency travel assistance when they are 100+ miles from home. This is offered as a non-insurance benefit that is included with the UC travel insurance policy. These services are most helpful when you are traveling internationally and not familiar with the health system or local hospital services.

Do you need of assistance now? Call to reach someone immediately*. Emails may take up to 24 hours for a response and should be used for less serious conditions.

Chubb-AXA Global Travel Assistance

  • +1-855-327-1420 – Toll free in the US
  • +1-630-694-9804 – Outside the US
  • Email at: MedAssist-USA@AXA-Assistance.us – Include your full name, UC campus, UC affiliation (ex. UC student or UC employee), current location, details of the assistance needed, and how they should get in touch with you. If possible, provide the relevant policy number from the insurance contact card linked from the email you received after registering your travel.

*Please note that if you are having a medical emergency you should call 911 or the local equivalent if you are overseas, or go to the nearest emergency room. If you need additional assistance, you can call Chubb-AXA Global Travel Assistance once help is on the way.

Services provided:

  • Referrals to medical providers, including hospitals, clinics, and specialists
  • Pre-trip information about your travel destination through the Travel Eye web portal and mobile app
  • Guidance if you have a medical or security emergency
  • Healthcare monitoring and possibly direct payment to foreign hospitals if you are admitted with a condition that will require you to be in the hospital overnight or longer. Not all foreign hospitals will work with US insurance companies. You should be prepared to pay for the medical services you need, and then submit a claim for reimbursement consideration.
  • Instructions for replacing lost documents, including a lost passport or travel visa
  • Medical evacuation arrangements - if appropriate medical care is not available in your location
  • Security evacuation arrangements - if a natural disaster or security event causes you to be unsafe in your location
  • Repatriation of remains arrangements - in the event of the death of a UC student, employee, or other insured person.

Possible limitations and challenges:

  • The assistance company works for the travel insurance company, not UC. They are required to verify insurance benefits and follow other insurance company protocols.
  • The assistance provider has a network of hospitals and medical providers who are familiar with their processes including those for guarantees of payment (GOP), medical evacuations, travel recommendations, and care coordination. Patients at medical facilities not within their network may have to facilitate communication between the facility and the assistance provider if the facility hasn’t responded to the assistance company’s requests.
  • Many medical facilities, like those in the US, will not provide any patient information to any outside party, including the assistance company, unless the patient has signed a form allowing the facility to share information. The assistance company is limited in how it can help if it is unable to get any information from the facility.
  • AXA Assistance has advised that if a patient is at a non-network hospital or clinic, and a different assistance company or a US medical provider has contacted the facility on behalf of the student, it is very difficult to get the medical facility to communicate with AXA due to the facility’s concern for patient data privacy. Be aware that this may hinder or even prevent AXA from being an effective partner in the medical oversight and/or medical evacuation proceedings.