Travel outside the U.S. (2024)

Medicare usually doesn’t cover health care while you’re travelingoutside the U.S.There are some exceptions, including some cases where Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) may pay for services that you get on board a ship within the territorial waters adjoining the land areas of the U.S.

Medicare may pay for inpatient hospital, doctor, andambulance servicesyou get in a foreign country in these rare cases:

You're in the U.S. when a medical emergency occurs, and the foreign hospital is closer than the nearest U.S. hospital that can treat your medical condition.
You're traveling through Canada without unreasonable delay by the most direct route between Alaska and another U.S state when a medical emergency occurs, and the Canadian hospital is closer than the nearest U.S. hospital that can treat the emergency.
You live in the U.S. and the foreign hospital is closer to your home than the nearest U.S. hospital that can treat your medical condition, regardless of whether an emergency exists.

Medicare may cover medically necessary ambulance transportation to a foreign hospital only with admission for medically necessary covered inpatient hospital services.

Medicare drug coverage (Part D) covers all vaccines that the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends, including certain vaccines you might need to get before you travel outside the U.S. (like yellow fever, chikungunya, and Japanese encephalitis). Your Part D plan won't charge you a copayment or apply a deductible for vaccines ACIP recommends. Contact your Medicare drug plan for details and talk to your provider about which ones are right for you.

Your costs in Original Medicare

You pay 100% of the costs, in most cases. In the situations described above, you pay the part of the charge you would normally pay for covered services. This includes any medically necessary doctor and ambulance services you get in a foreign country as a part of a covered inpatient hospital stay. You also pay the coinsurance, copayments, and deductibles you'd normally pay if got these same services or supplies inside the U.S.

In the situations above, Medicare pays only for services covered under Original Medicare: Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) covers hospital care (care you get when you've been formally admitted with a doctor's order to the foreign hospital as an inpatient).

Part B covers emergency and non-emergency ambulance and doctor services you get immediately before and during your covered foreign inpatient hospital stay. Medicare generally won't pay for services (like return ambulance trips home) in either of these cases:
- Medicare didn't cover your hospital stay.
- You got ambulance and doctor services outside the hospital after your covered hospital stay ended.

Note

Foreign hospitals aren’t required to file Medicare claims for your travel medical costs. You need tosubmit an itemized billto Medicare for your doctor, inpatient, and ambulance services if both of these apply:

You're admitted to a foreign hospital under one of the situations above
The foreign hospital doesn't submit Medicare claims for you

Find out cost

To find out how much your test, item, or service will cost, talk to your doctor or health care provider. The specific amount you’ll owe may depend on several things, like:

Other insurance you may have
How much your doctor charges
If your doctor accepts assignment
The type of facility
Where you get your test, item, or service

Things to know

The 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa are considered part of the U.S. Anywhere else is considered outside the U.S.

Medicare drug plans don't cover prescription drugs you buy outside the U.S.

Medicare supplement insurance (Medigap) policies may cover emergency carewhen you travel outside the U.S.

Note

Because Medicare has limited travel medical coverage outside the U.S., you may choose to buy a travel insurance policy to get more coverage. An insurance agent or travel agent can give you more information about the cost of travel medicalinsurance. Travel insurance doesn’t necessarily include health insurance, so it’s important to read the conditions or restrictions carefully.

Related resources

Medicare & You: traveling abroad (video)

Is my test, item, or service covered?

FAQs

Can a U.S. citizen travel outside the US? ›

If you are a U.S. citizen planning to travel outside the U.S., you may need a visa to enter a foreign country. Learn how to find your destination's visa requirements. While not all countries require visas for American travelers, many do.

Keep Reading ›

How long can U.S. citizens stay in other countries? ›

US citizens can live outside the country for as long as they wish — even for the rest of their lives — without a problem. A US citizen cannot be prevented from re-entering the US.

What is needed to go overseas? ›

Double-check whether you require a visa or permit for the country or countries you are visiting or transiting. Keep a copy of your passport information page, relevant visas, travel insurance, travellers' cheques and credit card with you but not with the originals.

See Details ›

What form do I need to fill out for international travel? ›

All persons need a Form I-94 except U.S. citizens, returning resident aliens, aliens with immigrant visas, and most Canadian citizens visiting or in transit.

Read On ›

What documents do U.S. citizens need to reenter the US? ›

Note, however, that rules established under the U.S. Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, require that all persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air, must present a valid passport to reenter the United States.

Read On ›

Do U.S. citizens have the right to travel? ›

The right precedes the creation of the United States and appears in the Articles of Confederation. The U.S. Constitution and Supreme Court recognize and protect the right to interstate travel. The travel right entails privacy and free domestic movement without governmental abridgement.