Health Insurance & Travel Abroad

Medicare & Other Plans May Not Cover International Medical Emergency

Dec 2, 2007 Paul A. Heckert

US citizens and residents who are planning international travel need to look at their health insurance coverage. They may need to purchase an international travel health insurance plan for the duration of their trip.

If a medical emergency occurred during their trip the cost could be disastrous. The medical emergency might be a health crisis that would have happened even if the traveler had stayed home. In tropical or third-world countries a medical emergency might take the form of a disease that is rare in the developed world. Even the healthiest travelers can have a medical emergency resulting from an accident.

If a medical emergency happens during your trip abroad, will your health insurance cover the expenses? Probably not.

Health Insurance Plans

Private health insurance plans vary considerably in what they cover. Many do not cover health care received while outside the US, but it is impossible to make a general statement. Those who are planning international travel should consult with their health insurance representatives to find out if they will be covered during the trip. If necessary they should purchase supplemental coverage or an international travel health insurance policy for the duration of the trip.

Medicare and Medigap Insurance Plans

After retirement, many people take advantage of increased spare time, grown kids, and a paid off house to finally travel abroad. Medicare (Publication 11037) will only cover health care costs incurred outside the US in very limited circumstances. These circumstances include:

• Being on a cruise ship in a US port or less than 6 hours away from a US port.

• US residents who live close enough to a foreign hospital that it is easier to get to the foreign hospital than to the nearest US hospital.

• US residents who are traveling in the US and have a medical emergency close enough to a foreign hospital that it is easier to get to the foreign hospital than to the nearest US hospital.

• US residents with a medical emergency in Canada while traveling directly from Alaska to one of the lower 48 states.

International travel not meeting one of these limited circumstances is not covered by Medicare. Some Medigap plans may cover international travel. Outside the states of Massachusetts, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, which do not have the standard Medigap plans, Medigap plans C, D, E, F, G, H, I, and J may cover international travel. Check with your Medigap provider.

What to Look for

When purchasing international travel health insurance, look for coverage similar to what you have. Also look for a plan that covers problems that, given your individual circumstances, you are likely to have. If traveling to a third-world country with possible poor health care, look for a plan that covers evacuation to a US hospital should it be needed.

US citizens and residents traveling abroad need to make sure that they have health care insurance while they are outside the US.