Traveling with Medicare? Check Your Coverage Before Your Trip

If you’re going out of the country and have Medicare coverage of any kind, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) advises you to check before you go what (if any) coverage you have while you’re traveling.

• If you have Original Medicare, meaning Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) and Part B (medical insurance), along with Part D prescription drug coverage, generally that coverage will not apply outside of the country, except in a few very specific cases.
• If you have added a Medicare supplement (Medigap) plan to your Original Medicare coverage, you may have some emergency health insurance coverage while you are out of the country. Check your Medigap plan for details.
• Similarly, if you have chosen to get your Medicare Parts A and B coverage through a Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage) plan, you may have some emergency or urgent care health insurance coverage when you are traveling abroad. Again, you’ll need to check your plan for details.

If you’re approaching your Medicare initial enrollment period and planning travel out of the country on a regular basis, take that into consideration when choosing the Medicare coverage you want. Look for plans that give you the flexibility you need.

Finally, if you don’t feel you have the coverage you need for a trip, find a travel insurance product that includes health insurance to provide that temporary health coverage.

For more detailed information on Medicare and travel outside the United States, see Medicare.gov.