Americans moving overseas want to know if they can keep their current health insurance with their U.S. provider. Retirees want to know about Medicare international coverage if they retire in a different country. Travelers wonder if they can save money and work with the health insurer they know and prefer for a travel policy. All these international travelers want to know: Does My Health Insurance Cover International Travel?
Americans moving overseas want to know if they can keep their current health insurance with their U.S. provider. Retirees want to know about Medicare international coverage if they retire in a different country. Travelers wonder if they can save money and work with the health insurer they know and prefer for a travel policy. All these international travelers want to know: Does My Health Insurance Cover International Travel?
Of the top 15 U.S. insurers we researched:
You may be surprised at how much overseas health insurance coverage your insurer can provide. However, whether you have coverage is based on your plan or your international destination. Some U.S. insurers provide limited coverage in Canada and Mexico, but not in other international destinations. Several important insurers make it easy to add full international coverage to their policies for you. Find out if your health insurance covers international travel and what your options for international coverage can be.
Find out here what your health insurance covers for international travel with the top 15 U.S. medical insurance providers. You’ll also learn how to activate international options when they are available. If you travel abroad often, you may consider updating the policies you carry now, based on what you learn.
Medicare is the U.S. public health insurance for citizens 65 and older. Standard Medicare doesn’t provide coverage for people traveling or living outside the U.S., with a few unusual exceptions. Medicare also doesn’t cover emergency health care, or prescription drugs that you buy outside the U.S., for any reason.
Nearly 19% of Americans get their medical coverage with Medicare. Many seniors with Medicare are retirees who plan to enjoy their golden years with overseas travel. Retirees who move outside the U.S. often stay enrolled with Medicare in case they return to the U.S., and they continue to pay their premium for Medicare Part B.
Only rarely can you use Medicare outside the US. It may cover your costs if you are within the U.S. and close to an international border, but the nearest source of treatment is a foreign hospital. Medicare also doesn’t apply if you are on a cruise ship that is further than 6 hours from a U.S. port. Medicare considers you to be outside of the U.S., even if you never disembark from the ship.
For limited coverage in emergencies, you can buy a Medigap plan as part of Medicare. Many Medigap plans provide moderate travel emergency health coverage, with a lifetime limit of $50,000 (plans C,D, E, F, G, H, I, J, M and N). These plans cover 80% of emergency care charges up to the limit, within the first 60 days of your trip, and if Medicare does not cover the care otherwise.
However, Medicare recommends that you buy international health insurance if you are traveling overseas, even if you have Medicare coverage including Medigap. This will cover you beyond Medigap’s modest limit.
Unfortunately, no other countries accept U.S. Medicaid. This is because the U.S. does not have reciprocal health care agreements with other countries.
Medicaid sounds similar to Medicare, but it is different. Medicaid is how the U.S. provides health services to lower-income Americans. It’s the biggest health plan provider in the U.S., and it helps children, families, seniors, and people with disabilities.
But if you’re going abroad, you can’t count on using standard U.S. Medicaid for global health coverage. You can’t get any health expenses covered outside the U.S. with Medicaid. More, if you are outside the U.S. for more than 30 days you may lose your Medicaid coverage.
Medicaid also doesn’t sell plans to cover you while abroad, not even basic emergency coverage. If you have Medicaid and you are outside the U.S. for any reason, you must pay 100% of your health care while abroad — or purchase a separate travel or global health insurance plan.
Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) has been a private U.S. health insurer since 1929! They are one of the top trusted medical insurers in the U.S.: one out of every three private health insurance policies is with BCBS.
If you are a BCBS member, you may have international coverage under your plan benefits through the Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Core program. Many BCBS plans provide basic coverage for medical emergencies overseas. But not all BCBS plans or subsidiaries do — check your plan details to find out.
For more thorough international coverage, U.S. BCBS members can buy it through BlueCross Blue Shield Global, also known as GeoBlue. GeoBlue offers expatriate, student and travel focused plans. With GeoBlue or BCBC Global, you also have access to the BCBS Global Core worldwide app to help you find providers and make BCBS health claims. BCBS advises, “Though many Blue Cross Blue Shield plans cover international care in emergency situations, GeoBlue plans offer the most complete set of benefits and access to services like emergency medical evacuation, which might not be covered by your regular plan.”
Not currently covered by a Blue Cross Blue Shield plan? Contact us about GeoBlue options.
It depends on which plan you’re on, and whether you decide to purchase an international plan. Elevance Health, formerly Anthem, is the largest health insurance provider in the Blue Cross Blue Shield network. They focus on holistic care connecting multiple providers. You may be insured by them through Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, or their Medicare-focused branch Wellpoint.Elevance Blue Cross Blue Shield coverage may have more overseas limits than other BCBC plans.
Because Wellpoint is a Medicare plan, its overseas coverage is limited to a Medigap plan, if you’ve purchased one. Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield has a GeoBlue option for overseas health insurance. Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, though, does not have an overseas coverage option to buy – you’ll need an international health plan from another provider.
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