Does Medicare cover me when I travel?

Do you enjoy traveling to visit family and friends or to explore new places? We often speak with clients who want to know whether they will have coverage while traveling, especially in the event of an unforeseen emergency. It’s important to know what your Medicare plan covers just in case. 

Domestic Travel

The good news is that for those with Original Medicare (Medicare Part A and Part B), medical services and supplies are covered when traveling in the U.S., which includes:

• Puerto Rico
• The U.S. Virgin Islands
• Guam
• American Samoa
• The Northern Mariana Islands

Although Medicare plans vary, they cover emergency and urgent care in the same way. Whether you use a Medicare Advantage plan or Original Medicare as your primary insurance, you are entitled to urgent care or emergency care anywhere in the United States. This type of care will always be considered “in-network” for you.

If you require follow-up care after an emergency or urgent care visit while traveling, your options will be based on your plan. If you are out of your plan’s service area and your doctor certifies that you are unable to travel, your plan may continue to cover your care. However, if you are not in your plan’s network, then you are responsible for traveling back to your plan’s service area to receive care if your doctor confirms you are physically able to travel.

All Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement plans offer nationwide emergency coverage. However, non-emergency and urgent care services may or may not be covered nationwide, which is why it's important to know what your own plan covers.

International Travel

When it comes to travel outside of the U.S., in most cases, Medicare will not cover any health supplies or services you receive.

Before traveling, we recommend scheduling a call to review your Medicare plan so you know what it covers. 

In addition, it often makes sense to consider medical insurance for international travel. Over the years, we’ve helped many individuals who have traveled outside the U.S., including some who had trouble receiving the care they needed while traveling internationally due to their lack of coverage. Because of this, we encourage you to obtain international travel coverage. RetireMed offers international travel insurance, and you can contact our team to find out about the policies we offer and get a quote. 

Expert Help with Health Coverage

If you’re a RetireMed client and have questions about your Medicare coverage and travel, or you would like to hear about our international travel policies, schedule a call with a customer success advisor.

If you have questions about Medicare or individual health insurance plans, we offer trusted guidance at no cost to you. Schedule a call with an advisor to get started!