If you are Medicare age and planning an out-of-country adventure there are important limitations to your health benefits you should be aware of before departing.
Illness and injury while visiting a foreign country can be result in unexpected costs and Medicare often does not cover or reimburse for these expenses.
In rare instances, Medicare will cover your emergency visit, inpatient hospital costs, or doctor visit while outside of the U.S. This includes circumstances when traveling through Canada between Alaska and a US state.
However, for most international trip itineraries, you are responsible for 100% of the cost of any health care you may need. The same rules apply for nearly all Medicare Advantage plans too. Be sure to check with your health plan before your departure.
Prescription Medications
Make certain to bring along any prescribed medications by your doctor because Medicare also won’t cover prescriptions dispensed internationally.
Cruise Ships
Cruises are a great way to see multiple destinations in one trip and nearly always have a clinic onboard. However, depending on where illness occurs, Medicare may or may not provide health coverage. For example, if you become sick or injured outside of US territorial waters or more than 6 hours from a US port, Medicare is not obliged to pay for the care you receive.
Also, keep in mind, even minor visits to the on-ship clinic may result in a bill from the cruise line as medical care is usually not included in the ticket price.
US Territories
American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are all considered part of the United States and Medicare will cover health care received in these locations.
Read more about Medicare coverage and restrictions while outside of the US.
Since Medicare offers limited coverage to beneficiaries traveling internationally, you should consider purchasing a travel health insurance policy.
Many options exist including travel reimbursement for unplanned disruptions, medical coverage, and disaster/evacuation plans. Traditional travel insurance covers unexpected losses for circumstances like lost baggage and flight changes due to illness or weather events. These plans typically do not extend to health and medical expenses like seeking care at a clinic or hospital while outside of the U.S.
Travel health insurance is a type of supplemental plan to protect travelers against unplanned medical events. Additionally, medical evacuation can be added to these plans, and is especially recommended for individuals with trips involving remote or adventure itineraries (e.g. mountain climbing). When significant illness or injury happens, travelers may need to access healthcare outside of a country with limited resources and be medically evacuated to another country for treatment or surgery.
CDC offers suggestions on selecting the appropriate type of travel health insurance before your international trip.
- Destination Health
- August 4, 2023