When planning a trip, your main concerns are likely finding the best hotel, planning fun times, and figuring out the airline's packing restrictions. If you're leaving the country, you probably want to check your passport and whether there are any visa requirements. Questions like, Does Medicare cover international travel, may not occur to you until it's too late.

What happens if you get sick on the trip, or have a medical emergency? Does your Medicare coverage extend to your vacation getaway? This post explains your Medicare coverage while traveling in the U.S. and abroad, as well as how to get coverage when you aren't in the United States.

Medicare and international travel

Medicare rarely covers care received while traveling in another country. Exceptions include:

• Emergency care in Canada for an injury or illness sustained while traveling between one of the "lower 48" states and Alaska, assuming the closest hospital is in Canada.
• Medical care received on a cruise ship while in U.S. territorial waters, i.e. within six hours of a U.S. port.
• Non-emergency inpatient care in a foreign hospital if that hospital is closer to your residence than the closest U.S. hospital is. This mainly applies to beneficiaries who live near the border of Canada or Mexico. (Technically, this is not Medicare coverage while traveling.)
• Medicare may cover emergency dialysis treatment received in a foreign hospital. However, it will not cover routine dialysis.

Some Medicare Advantage plans cover emergency care abroad. See the section titled Does Medicare Advantage Cover International Travel.

If you have a Medigap policy, it may cover medical treatment provided during foreign travel. See the section titled Medigap and International Travel.

What is your cost?

The vast majority of the time, Medicare does not cover medical costs incurred during foreign travels, so your cost is 100%. However, if your situation matches one of the above scenarios, and the service received is covered by Original Medicare, your costs are the same as if you had received treatment in the United States. Typically, this means 20% of the approved amount and whatever remains of your Part B deductible.

Medigap and international travel

Many Medigap plans offer healthcare coverage while traveling outside of the United States, including Plans C, D, F, G, M, and N. In addition, if you purchased Plan E, H, I, or J before June 1, 2010 and you have had it continuously since then, you have emergency healthcare coverage when traveling outside the United States.

There are, of course, restrictions.

• If you have a qualifying Medigap plan, it covers emergency care only if it begins during the first 60 days you spend traveling outside of the U.S.
• Once you've met your yearly Medicare Part B deductible ($240 in 2024), your Medigap plan covers 80% of billed charges for emergency care deemed medically necessary.
• There is a $50,000 lifetime limit on foreign medical emergency coverage through your Medigap plan.

Before leaving for your trip, talk to your Medigap provider to determine coverage while traveling outside of the United States and its territories.

If you're interested in purchasing a Medicare Supplement plan, our free Find a Plan tool makes it easy. Just enter your location information, coverage start date, and hit Continue to review plans in your area. This tool also lets you compare Medicare Advantage and Part D prescription drug plans.

Does Medicare Advantage cover international care?

Around one-third of beneficiaries choose Medicare Part C instead of Original Medicare. More commonly known as Medicare Advantage (MA), these plans must provide the same level of coverage as Original Medicare. However, most provide additional benefits.

Additional coverage varies according to the plan and provider you choose. For example, many MA plans include prescription drug coverage. You also find plans that cover routine dental and vision care or health and fitness programs like SilverSneakers.

To determine whether your Medicare Advantage plan covers international travel, please contact your provider.

Medicare coverage and interstate travel

If you're traveling within the United States and have Original Medicare, you don't have to worry. You're covered throughout the country and most providers accept Medicare insurance. In addition to all 50 states and Washington, D.C., Original Medicare beneficiaries are covered in:

• American Samoa
• Guam
• Northern Mariana Islands
• Puerto Rico
• The U.S. Virgin Islands

If you have Medicare Advantage (MA), though, your plan may not cover treatment received outside of your service area. Or, your plan may cover treatment but at a higher cost to you since you're out-of-network.

However, even if you have a Medicare Advantage plan, it must cover emergency treatment received anywhere in the United States without levying additional charges against you.

Before traveling, contact your plan provider to ask about coverage and any restrictions, such as prior authorization requirements. In addition, most MA plans disenroll you if you travel outside of your service area for six months or more. If that happens, you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period. Failure to enroll in another MA plan during this period results in automatic enrollment in Original Medicare.

If you travel a lot and want to keep Medicare Advantage, look for a plan that allows continuous travel throughout the United States and its territories. But, carefully consider the restrictions (if any) that plan imposes. For example, it may only cover certain areas, specific types of care, or charge more for treatment outside the network.

Preparing for international travel

International travel requires a bit more planning than trips within the United States and its territories do. We highly recommend a visit to the CDC website's Travelers' Health page as part of your planning. Here you'll find information on:

• Disease warnings in different parts of the world and precautions you should take if traveling there
• General travel advice, such as how to prepare for different climates or traveling with pets
• A disease directory with informative articles on each disease
• An FAQ that answers questions about vaccines, traveling with medications, and more
• Clinics that provide vaccines

You'll also find information about U.S. embassies in each country. If you do become ill while in another country, the closest U.S. embassy or consulate can help.

Additional resources

• ClearMatch Medicare: Find a Medicare Plan
• Medicare.gov: Costs