GREENSBORO, N.C. — There are 65,748, 297 people enrolled in some sort of Medicare plan.
Government health insurance can do a lot for you, but what it won't do, is cover you if you travel outside the country.
“If you have original Medicare, it pretty much does not cover you outside the country with very few exceptions. But if you have a Medigap policy, that does cover some emergency care, and if you have a Medicare Advantage plan, you're going to want to check with your policy,” said Louise Norris, a health policy analyst for Healthinsurance.org.
If you have a Medigap policy or Advantage plan, you need to call and ask what is covered and what isn't. TriCare plans often do cover out-of-country medical treatment, but not Medevac.
Medicare is much like the private health insurance you had when you were working, it doesn't cover you when you go to an island or Europe or even over the border to Canada. Chances are, you'll need to buy travel health insurance.
“It’s a couple of hundred dollars and it's worth it when you think of the coverage you get and the cost of what you could be stuck with,” said Norris.
Norris says everyone traveling abroad needs to purchase medevac coverage, that is insurance that pays to evacuate you or transport you to a suitable medical facility, and that can even be all the way back home.
These are the 4 things you need to ask about:
Does the policy cover treatment where you are going?
Does the coverage include medical care, hospital stays, and prescription meds?
Does the coverage extend beyond the trip dates?
Does the policy include medevac or transport?
BTW, Did you know you need to sign up for Medicare when you're 65 years old, no matter if you're working, retired, etc. If you don't, you'll pay penalties for the rest of your life!
