Traveling Under Medicare: Are You Still Covered?

U.S citizens spend more money per person on healthcare than any other developed nation in the world. This is pretty common knowledge, but what happens to your Medicare coverage if you take a vacation? Here, you can find out how far your Medicare coverage stretches when you are traveling to different states and countries.

Medicare Coverage for Travel in the U.S

Original Medicare This is a national plan. Medicare will cover you no matter what U.S state you are visiting. With Medicare, you can travel domestically and receive the same Medicare coverage that you use at home. Medigap Plans Similarly, anywhere that accepts Medicare will take your Medigap plan too. This includes any doctor, hospital, or facility in the U.S that takes Medicare. As you likely know, your Medigap plan provides extra coverage for gaps in your existing Medicare plan. So, when you travel in the U.S your Medigap plan will continue to cover you. Medicare Advantage Plans (Part C) Part C plans are different, as they are based on geographical areas. The type of plan you are eligible for depends on where you reside and which county you live in. Be aware that if you have been outside of your service area for 6-months or longer, your Medicare Advantage plan provider might automatically disenroll you.

Medicare Coverage Outside the U.S

Original Medicare While Medicare will cover you in the U.S and its territories including Guam and the U.S Virgin Islands, there will be no coverage provided once you leave U.S soil. Once you cross the border, you become responsible for your own healthcare costs. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule:

• If you are on a cruise ship that is a less than 6 hours from a U.S port, it is still treated as domestic travel.
• If you’re traveling directly through Canada to reach Alaska, you can visit a Canadian hospital.
• If you are having a medical emergency in the U.S, but a foreign hospital is nearer, you can visit that hospital without penalty.

For all of these exceptions, the entire cost of your hospital stay, or emergency room visit will be covered. However, medical transportation or follow up care will not be covered until you return to the U.S. Medigap Plans Medigap plans C, D, F, G, M, and N will provide coverage for emergency health care if you are outside of the U.S. Despite plans E, H, I and J no longer being available, if you purchased one before June 1, 2010, your foreign emergency health care will still be covered. Here’s what you need to know about Medigap coverage:

• The medical emergency must happen within the first 60 days of your trip and will only be covered if Medicare won’t cover the costs.
• Medigap will pay 80% of the charges for certain health care services or supplies outside of the U.S after you have made a 250 deductible for the year.
• There is a lifetime limit of $50,000.

Medicare Advantage Plans (Part C) Medicare Advantage differs from Medigap in the way that it functions. Part C plans work differently. Each plan dictates what benefit you receive, and this also rings true with foreign travel. To find out what travel benefits you have, you will need to contact your plan provider. If you are planning to travel outside of the U.S for a long period, you can get long-term health insurance which is called expatriate insurance – though benefits may differ for each country. When you are planning a trip abroad, it always pays to be prepared. Find out exactly what your medical coverage provides and under what circumstances – then plan accordingly.