Emergency Assistance Insurance Policy

On a side note, we have AARP/UHC supplemental plan that picks up the Medicare 80% of healthcare costs outside the US. However, we're still responsible for the remainder and don't know if they pick up any medical transport costs.

We have a Cigna Plan G Medicare supplement. It pays 80% of emergency treatment outside of the US. I called them and they said we would have to pay in full up front and then submit the claim for the 80%. They also told me that it does NOT cover emergency evacuation nor repatriation of remains. For that reason we still buy travel insurance. The travel insurance will pick up the other 20% and the air ambulance if needed.

Our peace of mind comes from having multiple high limit credit cards so that we can cover over $150,000 in medical expenses if necessary and then worry about reimbursement later.

Not an advantage plan. Supplemental plan "F" which presently costs me $212+ (discounted for AARP membership) per month in addition to my Medicare premium.

Wow $212 per month seems high. I pay $95 per month for my Cigna Plan G Medigap supplement and my husband pays $105.00. Plan F was about $50.00 per month higher. I couldn't justify an extra $600 per year to cover the $183 deductible, especially since they are hitting us for the high earner penalty and we have to pay more for our monthly Medicare Premium and for the Part D Prescription Plan.

Not totally correct. Medicare will pay some out of country medical expenses. But the criteria is very limited.

Yes, VERY limited. Pretty much only if you are passing through Canada or live near the border.

In general, health care you get while traveling outside the U.S. isn't covered. 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.

Medicare may pay for inpatient hospital, doctor, ambulance services, or dialysis you 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 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.
  

In some cases, Medicare may cover medically necessary health care services you get on board a ship within the territorial waters adjoining the land areas of the U.S. Medicare won't pay for health care services you get when a ship is more than 6 hours away from a U.S. port.

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

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

That is what we experienced in Newfoundland, they don't take Medicare. They were going to bill United Health Care directly which for us is counted as the secondary. That will be between the Hospital and our Insurance.I need to call them today as I just received the bill for the ambulance $240.

Wow $212 per month seems high. I pay $95 per month for my Cigna Plan G Medigap supplement and my husband pays $105.00. Plan F was about $50.00 per month higher. I couldn't justify an extra $600 per year to cover the $183 deductible, especially since they are hitting us for the high earner penalty and we have to pay more for our monthly Medicare Premium and for the Part D Prescription Plan.

When it was time to make our Medicare choices upon turning 65, DH and I were completely healthy with no history of medical issues and we chose an Advantage plan with 0 premium. We understood it would leave us on the hook for a high maximum should a problem arise. After 3 years, it did, and DH was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. As you can imagine, chemo was very expensive and each year for the first 2, we had to pay the first $6000-7000 out of pocket. We could not switch back to normal Medicare and add a supplement because of his pre-existing. For the last year and a half of his illness we got lucky and because the insurance company discontinued the Advantage plan he was on, he was given the opportunity to go back to traditional Medicare along with the best supplement for which we paid a bit over $200 per month. At that point his costs were 100% covered for the premium which ran us under $3000 per year. At age 65, we found $200 per month to be a poor choice compared to 0 per month, but once cancer was in our lives, we had a new perspective.