Does My Health Insurance Cover International Travel?
Key Takeaways:
- Medicare, Medicaid, and other forms of U.S. health insurance do not provide coverage outside of the United States
- Traveling abroad without international health insurance can leave U.S. citizens and permanent residents exposed to costly medical expenses if they get sick or injured
- Travel insurance comes standard with Emergency Medical and Medical Evacuation benefits that cover expenses like overseas hospital stays, doctor visits, and emergency evacuations
- Travel health insurance is the most affordable form of travel insurance, with some plans costing as little as $1/day
- Squaremouth allows you to easily compare international travel health insurance plans from the nation’s top-rated providers at once. For personal assistance, call our award-winning agents at 1-800-240-0369
Does My Health Insurance Cover International Travel?
The U.S. Department of State confirms that Medicare, Medicaid, and most private health insurance plans do not cover medical expenses overseas. This also goes for employer-sponsored policies and other forms of domestic health insurance. Even if they do offer coverage, they typically involve a lot of exclusions and upfront costs.
If you’re planning to travel outside of the United States, it’s always recommended to purchase a travel insurance plan that includes coverage for international medical and evacuation expenses. Fortunately, these plans are relatively affordable and widely available, making it easy to find a plan for your upcoming trip abroad.
How to Know if Your Health Insurance Covers International Travel
With the exception of U.S. territories like Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, it’s unlikely that your domestic travel insurance policy will be of much use abroad. However, it’s always beneficial to confirm this information with your primary health insurance provider.
Details about international coverage can often be found on your insurer’s website or within your plan details. For personalized assistance, you can also contact your provider directly via phone or email.
Here are a few important questions you should ask your health insurance company to understand how you are covered abroad:
- “Do you cover medical care overseas?”
- “Are there any in-network medical facilities or healthcare providers at my destination?”
- “Are there special exclusions for receiving treatment abroad?”
- “Are international medical evacuations or repatriation services covered by my plan?”
- “Does my plan offer direct billing or payment support for international medical services?”
Does Medicare Cover International Travel?
Like other forms of domestic health insurance, Medicare and Medicaid are not accepted outside of the United States.
However, there are a few exceptions in which Medicare will provide limited coverage on foreign soil:
- You suffer a medical emergency within the U.S., but the closest medical facility is in a foreign country.
- You experience a medical emergency in Canada while traveling between Alaska and another state, and a Canadian hospital is closer than an American facility.
- You live in the U.S., but the closest medical care provider is located in a foreign country, regardless of whether there’s an emergency.
Medicare recipients can purchase Medigap, also known as Medicare Supplement Insurance, to fill any gaps in their coverage. These plans, offered through private health insurance companies, often include international coverage. However, these plans generally feature low coverage limits and high deductibles compared to travel health insurance policies.
Buying Travel Health Insurance for Overseas Trips
Travel health insurance, also known as travel medical insurance, is a popular type of trip insurance designed to provide short-term medical coverage while you’re away from home. Travel health insurance policies cover unexpected medical expenses like hospital stays, doctor visits, prescription medications, and emergency evacuations.
Types of travel insurance for trips overseas:
- Medical-Only: An affordable plan type that focuses solely on providing health insurance abroad. Ideal for international travelers who don’t need cancellation coverage.
- Comprehensive: A popular form of trip protection that includes emergency medical coverage, plus other valuable benefits like Trip Cancellation, Trip Interruption, Baggage Loss, and Travel Delay. Great for travelers with prepaid trip costs who want well-rounded travel protection.
Health Insurance vs. Travel Insurance
While both health insurance and travel insurance are intended to protect you from significant out-of-pocket medical expenses, the two serve different purposes.
Your primary health insurance policy is designed to cover medical expenses in your home country or within a specific coverage network. The coverage provided by health insurance is often continuous and designed to cover routine care, and is therefore paid on an annual, monthly, or bi-weekly basis.
Travel insurance, on the other hand, provides short-term protection for unexpected disruptions that occur while you’re traveling away from home, in parts of the world where your primary health insurance doesn’t offer coverage. These plans are designed to cover emergencies while you’re traveling, and are paid for on a trip-by-trip basis.
Travel Health Insurance Benefits
Coverage for Emergency Medical Care:
Emergency Medical is one of the most important, in-demand benefits found in travel insurance. It helps pay for unexpected medical costs if you get sick or injured overseas, ranging from a quick doctor’s visit to a lengthy hospital stay.
Even a small accident can result in costly out-of-pocket expenses if you don’t have the proper protection. For that reason, we recommend plans that offer at least $50,000 in Emergency Medical coverage when traveling abroad.
Emergency Medical Evacuation Coverage:
If you get critically ill or injured while traveling, you may require emergency transportation to the nearest medical facility. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), these services can cost anywhere from $10,000 to over $250,000.
Fortunately, most travel medical plans include Medical Evacuation insurance to cover these steep costs. As a rule of thumb, we recommend at least $100,000 in Medical Evacuation coverage for international trips.
Medical Repatriation Coverage:
If a hospital at your destination is unable to provide the proper medical treatment required in the event of an emergency, the treating physician may order you to be sent back to your home country for further care.
Depending on the severity of your condition and the remoteness of your location, these repatriation services can be extremely expensive, with the U.S. Department of State highlighting that repatriation costs can exceed $250,000.
Most travel insurance plans include Repatriation coverage that will reimburse expenses related to transporting you back to your home country for medical reasons. This benefit can also cover repatriation of remains if you or a travel companion passes away during a covered trip.
Coverage for Pre-existing Conditions:
Traveling with an existing health issue can result in flare-ups throughout your trip that may require medical attention. While pre-existing medical conditions are often excluded from standard travel insurance plans, eligible travelers may qualify for a waiver that removes this exclusion.
To qualify for a pre-existing condition waiver, you must meet a few key requirements:
- Purchase your policy early, usually within 10 to 21 days of your initial trip payment, depending on the policy
- Be medically stable when you buy the plan, meaning there haven’t been recent changes in your condition, treatment, or medications
- Insure the full cost of your trip, not just a portion of it
Direct Payment vs. Reimbursement:
When traveling overseas, some medical facilities, especially those in developing areas, may require upfront payment before administering care. Depending on your condition, this can amount to a large expense that needs to be paid at once during a stressful situation.
While trip insurance typically works on a reimbursement basis, there are situations in which your travel health insurance provider may be able to coordinate direct payment on your behalf. This can expedite the treatment process and allow you to focus on recovery rather than medical expenses.
24-Hour Emergency Assistance:
Encountering a health issue in a foreign country can be an intimidating and overwhelming experience, especially if there is a language barrier. All travel health insurance companies listed on Squaremouth offer 24 Hour Emergency Assistance services to help you get the care and attention you need.
Common services offered by travel insurance providers include:
- Medical Referrals: Can utilize their vast medical network to connect you with competent medical professionals abroad
- Emergency Transportation Arrangement: Will work with air ambulances and other local medical transportation services to arrange emergency medical evacuations
- Payment to Medical Facilities: Can provide payment if a hospital requires medical bills to be paid upfront before administering medical care
- Emergency Translation: Can connect you with an interpreter or other translation services to help communicate with local police, medical professionals, and more
- Emergency Message Relay: Can transmit messages to family members back home if you’re unable to reach them
The benefits listed above often come standard in travel health insurance plans. Even basic policies can provide essential peace of mind while away from home, especially if you have concerns relating to your health.
What is Not Covered by Travel Health Insurance?
It’s important to note that travel insurance is not all-encompassing and is only intended to reimburse you for unexpected expenses you encounter while traveling. All policies include a range of exclusions that detail what situations and expenses will not be covered.
Most travel insurance does not cover the following:
- Drugs & Alcohol: Injuries or illnesses that stem from alcohol or substance abuse
- Self-Harm: Medical emergencies resulting from suicide attempts or other self-inflicted injuries
- Routine Care: Non-emergency procedures such as physicals, check-ups, or prescription refills
- Pregnancy: Routine prenatal care, check-ups, childbirth, or other normal pregnancy procedures. Note that pregnancy emergencies are typically covered.
- Medical Tourism: Traveling for elective procedures, cosmetic surgery, or prescription fills
Thes following are sometimes covered, but not always:
- Pre-existing medical conditions: Medical conditions that you had before your policy’s effective date may be excluded unless your plan includes the coverage for Pre-Existing Conditions by meeting the waiver criteria.
- High-risk activities: Participation in extreme adventure sports like skydiving, bungee jumping, or scuba diving are often excluded unless your plan includes Sports & Activity coverage.
Considerations When Buying Health Insurance for International Travel
To find the perfect travel health insurance coverage for your upcoming trip abroad, you’ll want to factor in different aspects of your adventure. To help, we’ve created a list of elements that could impact your decision.
Before purchasing travel insurance, consider the following:
- Destination: Additional health coverage may be needed if you’re visiting a remote destination, taking a cruise, or traveling to a developing country with limited healthcare resources.
- Your Medical Needs: If you have specific health concerns, such as a pre-existing condition or chronic illness, you should look for a policy that offers that specific coverage.
- Trip Length: Longer trips increase the chances of suffering a medical emergency abroad, which can increase your need for higher medical protection.
- Itinerary: Trips that involve adventure sports and activities may require specific coverage.
- Copays & Deductibles: Some policies require a deductible to be met before coverage begins, which can increase the amount of out-of-pocket expenses you’re responsible for in the event of an accident.
- Policy Premium: Higher-priced travel insurance plans do not always provide the best coverage. We recommend purchasing the lowest-priced policy that meets your coverage needs.
- Provider Reputation: Comparison sites like Squaremouth make it easy to view travel insurance quotes side by side. Consider a provider’s reviews, A.M. Best Rating, and other trust factors when comparing travel insurance companies.
Frequently Asked Questions: International Travel & Health Insurance
Do I Need Travel Health Insurance for International Trips?
If you cannot comfortably afford to pay out-of-pocket for medical care abroad, then you should consider buying travel insurance. While it’s not required, purchasing travel health insurance for overseas travel is strongly recommended as U.S. health insurance is not widely accepted abroad.
Here are a few examples of how much common medical scenarios could cost someone out-of-pocket if they don’t have travel health insurance.
- Broken Leg in Switzerland: Around $9,000, including hospital fees and X-rays (source)
- Hospitalization for Food Poisoning in Singapore: Around $4,000 for treatment in a private hospital (source)
- Medical Evacuation from the Caribbean: Between $15,000 and $25,000 (source)
Needless to say, an affordable travel insurance policy can save you thousands if you ever need to use it.
Where Can I Buy Travel Health Insurance?
Wondering how to get travel health insurance? We recommend purchasing travel health insurance from a reputable travel insurance comparison site, like Squaremouth. Doing so will allow you to compare policies from multiple providers at once, ensuring you’re getting the best coverage at the lowest possible price.
Many comparison sites give you the option to apply filters to your search, making it easy to identify the plans that meet your specific needs. You can also sort plans by price, popularity, rating, or other factors that are important to you.
What is the best health insurance for international travel?
The best travel insurance plan for your trip will depend on multiple factors, including your age, destination, travel plans, and coverage needs. To get started, review our list of the best travel insurance plans for international travel.
How Much Does International Travel Health Insurance cost?
Medical-only travel insurance is the most affordable type of trip protection, costing roughly $4.60/day on average.
This is based on internal sales data from thousands of travelers who purchased health insurance for travel through Squaremouth over the past 12 months.
Learn more about travel health insurance and how premiums are calculated at our Travel Medical Insurance page.
How Much Travel Health Coverage Do I Need?
The level of coverage you will need for your trip depends on where you’re going, how long you’re staying, and your personal risk tolerance.
As a rule of thumb, we recommend that U.S. citizens purchase a policy that offers $50,000+ in Emergency Medical coverage and $100,000+ in Medical Evacuation & Repatriation coverage when purchasing a travel medical insurance plan for an international trip.
However, there are scenarios where further coverage is needed for peace of mind, such as:
- Adventure Trips: Trips that involve high-risk activities may require additional protection.
- Remote Trips: Remote areas often have less access to adequate health services, increasing the likelihood of a costly medical evacuation.
- Senior Travelers: Older travelers, especially those with pre-existing conditions, typically experience higher medical costs when traveling abroad.
- Cruises: The cost of medical treatment and emergency evacuations at sea can be extremely high, warranting the need for additional travel protection when taking a cruise.
- Long Trips: The longer you are away from home, the greater the likelihood of experiencing a medical emergency while traveling.
Do Credit Cards Provide International Travel Medical Insurance?
No, while many travel offers a wide range of travel-related perks to cardholders, very few provide customers with medical coverage outside of the USA. Most of the time, credit card travel insurance is strictly designed to cover prepaid, non-refundable trip costs made using the card in the event of an unexpected cancellation or interruption.
Can I use my US health insurance in another country?
Some private healthcare providers may cover you in neighboring countries under emergency circumstances, but it’s not common. Even if they do, you should expect your plan to come with heavy restrictions on coverage and have high out-of-pocket costs associated with it.
Bear in mind that most healthcare providers in the USA classify treatment based on in-network and out-of-network care. If you are traveling abroad, the care you receive will most likely be out-of-network.