If you have Original Medicare and are travelling outside of the country, are you covered? With few exceptions, no. We’ll explain how Medicare works with foreign travel.

Medicare Health Care Coverage Outside of the U.S. Very Limited

In most cases Medicare will not cover any foreign health emergency. Again, there are exceptions to this, I’ll get into that in a moment. Let’s first discuss what outside the U.S. means. This would be anywhere other than the 50 states of the U.S., the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

👉If you need to sign up for Medicare go to our Medicare Overview Page.

In Which Cases Would Medicare Cover You During Foreign Travel?

There are three situations in which Medicare may cover you for foreign care.

  1. You’re physically in the U.S. when you have a medical emergency, however a foreign hospital is closer than the nearest U.S. hospital.
  2. You are in Canada while travelling “without reasonable delay”** to or from Alaska and another state when a medical emergency occurs. The Canadian hospital may treat you if it is closer than the nearest U.S. hospital. than the nearest U.S. hospital that can treat your illness or injury.
  3. You live in the U.S., however a foreign hospital is closer to your home than the nearest U.S. hospital. In this case you can seek medical care regardless of whether it’s an emergency.

💡 Remember: Medicare will only cover medically-necessary Medicare Approved services and medical care in foreign hospitals

**Medicare determines what qualifies as “without unreasonable delay” on a case-by-case basis.

What Happens if You’re on a Cruise and Have an Emergency?

Medicare more than likely will not cover medically necessary emergency care on a cruise boat. The following two examples are the exceptions:

  • If the doctor is allowed by certains laws to provide care on a cruise ship
  • If the ship is in a U.S. port or no more than 6 hours away from a U.S. port when you get the services, regardless of whether it’s an emergency.

💡Medicare doesn’t cover health care services you get when the ship is more than 6 hours away from a U.S. port.

If You’re a Senior Who Likes to Travel, What Are Your Options?

There are three main ways seniors can make sure they’re covered while traveling outside the U.S.:

  • Purchase Additional International Travel Insurance: For extra peace of mind, you can get dedicated international travel insurance through providers like IMG. Check out IMG’s travel insurance options to make sure you’re fully protected.
  • Medicare Advantage Plans: Some Medicare Advantage plans offer foreign emergency coverage. Keep in mind that most Medicare Advantage plans don’t provide nationwide coverage, so while you might be covered in France, you may not be fully covered if you travel to another U.S. state like Arizona.

Get a Medigap Quote Enroll in Medigap

🤝To learn more about protecting yourself against medical emergency costs while travelling beyond the U.S. borders call 800-930-7956 or contact Senior65.com.