Medicare doesn't cover foreign travel.
This was a Thank You Note I recently received from clients who took my advice & got travel insurance for their trip to Europe.
Travel insurance is quite inexpensive & it's worth every penny. These clients had a wonderful experience even though the husband broke his leg hiking on the trip.
Not only did he get to go to The Mayo Clinic in London to see an Orthopedist, they also received special accommodations throughout the rest of their trip & were even given First Class seats for the flight home.
As a comparison, I have another couple who were on a cruise when the husband became sick with "Covid" (I believe it was really Norwalk virus, because he didn't have any Covid symptoms) & as a result they were kicked off the ship in Costa Maya.
Because there were no services for him available in Costa Maya the couple then had to find a puddle jumper plane to take them to Cozumel.
When they arrived in Cozumel, they went to see a doctor who then directed them to a hospital. As soon as they arrived at the hospital, they were immediately told that they would need to be “quarantined”. It quickly became apparent that the hospital was intent on keeping them as long as possible.
Keep in mind the gentleman had no fever, no cough, no problems breathing, just some gastric distress. Even though he was being "quarantined" none of the medical staff were wearing masks.
It ended up being something just short of a hostage situation & they had to pay the hospital $28,000 before they could leave. In addition, they had to locate a flight out which ended up taking them to Miami & from Miami they had to fly into Houston.
This ended up being a ridiculously expensive cruise & a complete nightmare.
Both couples had Medicare Supplement plans which do provide a $50,000 lifetime cap. The difference was the couple with the travel insurance had a team of people assisting them & paying for medical expenses along the way.
The couple without the insurance had to handle all of the medical expenses & specialized care by themselves in a foreign country. When they returned home, they then had to submit claims for the emergency medical portion. The extra plane rides & other non-medical expenses were not covered.
Original Medicare (also known as Traditional Medicare) - Parts A & B, do not cover foreign travel.
Medicare Advantage does not cover foreign travel.
Even if you have a Medicare Supplement Plan which provides a $50,000 lifetime cap, it’s still worth getting travel insurance, so you are not left trying to navigate a medical emergency on your own in a foreign country.
This is the time in your life you should be traveling, seeing the world & enjoying life. Travel insurance makes all of this much safer & you can relax knowing that you’re covered.
I specialize in Medicare & do not sell travel insurance. Medicare is my passion & it's the only insurance I want to work with. Having said that, if you're planning on traveling & want to take out good, inexpensive insurance I'd be happy to give you a referral, I know some great people!
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