Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) won’t typically cover health care or medical supplies you receive in a foreign country.
Certain Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) plans do offer some coverage for foreign travel emergency health care.
Medigap Plans C, D, F, G, M and N each provide foreign travel emergency care coverage, which you should keep in mind as you travel overseas.
Learn more about your Medigap plan options.
Original Medicare typically only covers you in the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and the following territories:
The three exceptions to this rule are:
Medicare may also cover medically necessary services on a cruise ship. The ship must be in a U.S. port or no more than six hours away from a U.S. port at the time the services are rendered, and only when the doctor is allowed under certain laws to administer medical services aboard the cruise ship.
Only services that are covered by Medicare Part A or Part B will be covered in the above situations. Any non-covered services will be billed to the patient in full.
6 of the 10 Medigap plans provide coverage for foreign emergency care:
Medigap Plans E, H, I and J are no longer available for sale, but they also provide foreign emergency health care coverage. If you bought one of these 4 plans before June 1, 2010, you may keep the plan.
Each of the above Medicare Supplement Insurance plans cover 80 percent of medically necessary emergency care costs received outside of the U.S. during the first 60 days of your trip.
It’s important to keep in mind that this coverage is only valid for U.S. residents who are traveling abroad, and is not for people who are living outside the U.S.
If you have one of the above Medigap plans, your plan will help cover overseas care costs after you meet a $250 annual deductible in 2020.
There is a $50,000 lifetime coverage limit of foreign emergency care for all plans.
Each of the 6 Medigap plans currently available that include coverage of foreign emergency care also include the following coverage:
In addition, Medigap Plan C and Plan F provide coverage for the Medicare Part B deductible.
Plan F and Plan G also provide coverage for Medicare Part B excess charges.
Not all Medicare Supplement Insurance plans are available in every location. A licensed insurance agent can help you learn more about Medigap plans that are available where you live.
Learn about Medigap plans in your area
Visit MedicareSupplement.comCompare your Medigap plan options by visiting MedicareSupplement.com
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