Medicare if you live abroad

What Medicare covers abroad

If you’re living overseas, Medicare generally isn’t your health coverage — it doesn’t pay for care outside the US except in a few rare situations. Most expatriate retirees rely instead on the national health system of their new country, a local private plan, or an international health insurance policy. That makes the practical question less about using Medicare abroad and more about whether to keep paying into it.

The Part B decision

Part A is premium-free for most people, so there’s usually no reason to drop it — keep it. Part B is the judgment call, because it carries a monthly premium ($202.90 in 2026) for coverage you can’t use while you’re abroad. Here’s the catch: if you drop Part B and later return to the US, you may face a lifetime late-enrollment penalty — a permanent surcharge that grows for every year you were eligible but not enrolled — plus a wait for the next enrollment window before coverage starts. So the decision turns on one question: is there any chance you’ll move back?

If you move back

If returning is possible, many people keep Part B and treat the premium as insurance against that penalty and gap. If you’re certain you’ll never return, some choose to drop it and stop paying. There’s no universally right answer — it depends on your plans, your finances, and your tolerance for risk. Because the penalty is permanent, it’s worth thinking it through carefully or talking it over with a licensed insurance agent before you decide.