Does Medicare Cover International Travel?

Whether you plan on traveling within the United States or abroad, knowing just how far your Medicare coverage will extend is essential.

If you have Original Medicare, Medicare Part A and Part B cover your medical bills within the U.S., including Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and other U.S. territories.

For the most part, Medicare does not provide coverage outside the U.S. unless in an emergency. Below, we discuss which Medicare plans include foreign travel emergency benefits.

These situations include:

• On a cruise ship, you will have medical coverage if the vessel is still in U.S. waters. This means the cruise ship must either be at a U.S. port or within six hours from one.
• Traveling between Alaska and another state, when the closest hospital is in Canada. In this circumstance, Medicare will cover emergency services in Canada.
• If your residence is closer to a hospital outside U.S. territory, Medicare may cover emergency or non-emergency inpatient care at the nearest hospital to your home.

Medicare Supplement plans include additional benefits providing foreign travel emergency coverage. Medicare Supplement Plan C, Plan D, Plan F, Plan G, Plan M, and Plan N provide emergency coverage in foreign countries. Additionally, Medigap High Deductible Plan F and High Deductible Plan G also include coverage overseas.

Medicare Supplement Plan A, Plan B, Plan K, and Plan L do not offer additional foreign travel emergency coverage.

Overview of Medicare Supplement foreign travel emergency coverage:

• Carries a $250 deductible
• Coverage only lasts the first 60 days of your trip
• Your plan pays 80% of your medical bills while out of the country
• The lifetime coverage limit is $50,000.

Your Medicare Supplement plan will provide foreign travel coverage if your health services are for emergencies. If you only have Original Medicare, you will not have this extra coverage outside the U.S.

Medicare Advantage plans may provide foreign travel coverage outside the United States. Often, these Medicare Advantage plans restrict specific health services.

If you plan to travel outside of the country, it is essential to inform your carrier of your upcoming trip. They will then explain how your Medicare Advantage plan covers emergency travel benefits, if any, and how claims or reimbursement work with your policy.

If you travel outside your Medicare Advantage plan’s service locations for more than six months, the carrier may automatically disenroll you from the policy. It is always a good rule of thumb to check with your policy before travel to determine your Medicare Advantage plan’s limitations.

Purchasing travel insurance while on Medicare will help cover emergency and non-emergency costs from situations that may arise overseas. Travel insurance benefits vary by policy and carrier.

When you purchase travel insurance, your policy will help cover international costs that Medicare does not cover. If you require healthcare and cannot make it back to the U.S., you will not need to pay out-of-pocket, as you would with Original Medicare.

So, suppose you have Original Medicare and plan to travel outside the country. In that case, enrolling in a travel insurance plan is essential to help cover unexpected health costs.

If you travel back to the U.S. frequently, you may want to continue paying the monthly premium for Medicare Part B. However, you can only use those benefits within the United States and its territories.

If your cruise ship is farther than six hours out, you will not receive coverage from Original Medicare. The treating physician must also be legally licensed to provide medical care aboard a vessel.

Medicare and International Travel FAQs

How to Travel International with Medicare

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