There is nothing quite like traveling and seeing the world, whether it be taking a Mediterranean cruise with your family or celebrating your 35th wedding anniversary with a trip to Europe.<\/p>\n
However, a health issue or medical emergency can quickly turn a dream vacation into a nightmare. How can you make sure you and your loved ones have the health insurance coverage needed when traveling abroad? Let\u2019s take a look at some of the top dos and don\u2019ts when it comes to health insurance for American citizens traveling outside the country.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a mistake to assume your family will be covered by your current health insurance plan when you\u2019re outside of the United States and its territories. Read your plan documents, or talk to your plan administrator or HR department to determine what is covered and what isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
If you have Medicare, be aware that you will NOT be covered outside of the United States, except in a few extremely specific circumstances. However, if you have a Medigap plan, you may have some level of emergency travel coverage. However, it\u2019s better not to assume and instead find out the details of your travel coverage before leaving the country.<\/p>\n
Some plans may have built-in travel insurance, while other plans may have no coverage for care provided outside of the country. Even plans that come with foreign coverage have different limitations on what they\u2019ll cover and where. When planning your trip, make sure to find out the specifics of what your plan offers in order to arrange for additional coverage, if needed.\nDON\u2019T Forget to Check Out Travel Insurance Options<\/p>\n
Before you set sail or take flight, be sure to research travel insurance to see if it would be a good investment for your family. If you needed emergency medical care while abroad, would you be able to pay for it by yourself? Will you be taking part in high-risk activities on your vacation, like mountain climbing or scuba diving? Do you suffer from diabetes or another chronic condition that increases the likelihood you may need care while abroad? Get a clear assessment of what your needs may be; this will help you decide if a travel insurance policy is a good idea and will help you choose which one best suits you.<\/p>\n
As previously mentioned, Medicare doesn\u2019t typically provide health insurance coverage outside of the U.S. and its territories. Even if you have a Medigap plan that offers some emergency coverage for travel outside the U.S., you would likely still benefit from a standalone travel insurance plan.<\/p>\n
Different travel insurance policy providers offer radically different insurance packages with wildly varying premiums and levels of coverage. For example, some travel insurance plans may cover the costs of airlifting you to the closest U.S. hospital or may make payments directly to a foreign hospital on your behalf. Other policies may not cover evacuation costs or may only reimburse you for foreign costs that are incurred. Your best bet is to work with a health insurance agent who can help you understand the different plans. An agent can also ensure you\u2019re working with a reputable travel insurance company with good customer service and a proven track record.\nA Little Preparation Goes a Long Way<\/p>\n
An unexpected illness or accident while abroad can quickly ruin a vacation. That is why it\u2019s so important to understand what coverage \u2014 if any \u2014 your current health insurance provides outside of the country, and then consider purchasing travel insurance. Comparison shop until you find a reputable insurance provider with a policy that best suits you.<\/p>\n
Insurance tips to help avoid nightmare of illness overseas<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7254,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[88,90],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-winter-2018","category-winter-2018-features"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7181"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7181\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7259,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7181\/revisions\/7259"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7254"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}