Medicare and foreign travel

What Original Medicare covers abroad

As a rule, Original Medicare does not pay for care you receive outside the US and its territories. There are only a few narrow exceptions — for example, a medical emergency that happens while you’re in the US but the nearest hospital is across the border, an emergency while traveling the direct route through Canada between Alaska and another state, or care on a ship within six hours of a US port. Outside of those, you should assume Original Medicare won’t cover you overseas.

The Medigap foreign travel benefit

This is one of the quieter advantages of a Medigap policy. Several standardized plans — C, D, F, G, M, and N — include foreign travel emergency coverage. After a $250 deductible, they pay 80% of the cost of emergency care that begins during the first 60 days of a trip, up to a lifetime maximum of $50,000. It’s emergency-only and capped, but for travelers it’s a meaningful safety net that Original Medicare alone doesn’t provide.

Filling the gap

Because that benefit is limited, many people who travel internationally buy a short-term travel medical insurance policy for each trip. These plans are inexpensive, cover a wider range of care than the Medigap emergency benefit, and often include medical evacuation — which can be the costliest part of a medical problem far from home. If you travel abroad often, it’s worth comparing what your Medigap plan already covers against a dedicated travel policy.