Medical Insurance for seniors out of country

[mamaofami]

Is there decent medical insurance for seniors on Medicare when out of the country.?

[RuthC]

Carol, I suggest you call and talk to a real person at Insure My Trip. They know their stuff! Tell the representative exactly what you think you are looking for. They will ask questions that refine your thinking, and even prompt other ideas. They are excellent at this.

If there is a policy out there that meets your needs, including dental coverage, then they will find it. It is a much easier process than wading your way through the website.

[greatver]

Some Medicare Supplement plans will cover you for urgent or emergency care. Check with your insurer (carrier)

[thinfool]

https://www.geobluetravelinsurance.com/ ...click on Travel Medical Plans....

 

 

Suggest you explore the Trekker or Voyager options.

 

This is medical only....no trip cancellation or interruption coverage.

 

Requires that you have an 'in force' medical plan in the US....Medicare qualifies for this.

[mamaofami]

Carol, I suggest you call and talk to a real person at Insure My Trip. They know their stuff! Tell the representative exactly what you think you are looking for. They will ask questions that refine your thinking, and even prompt other ideas. They are excellent at this.

If there is a policy out there that meets your needs, including dental coverage, then they will find it. It is a much easier process than wading your way through the website.

 

Thank you very much. Great idea.

[sail7seas]

Some Medicare Supplement plans will cover you for urgent or emergency care. Check with your insurer (carrier)

 

 

Don't some have limited coverage and life time limits?

 

Something to think about when choosing a plan.

[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

Some Medicare Supplement plans will cover you for urgent or emergency care. Check with your insurer (carrier)

 

I know my husband has a BCBS supplement policy (F) that says it covers foreign travel. It says it covers 80% of medically necessary emergency care services during the 1st 60 days of each trip outside the USA after a $250 deductible is met, up to a lifetime maximum of $50,000.

 

We definitely get travel insurance with good medical coverage in addition to what that policy will cover.

[sail7seas]

I know my husband has a BCBS supplement policy (F) that says it covers foreign travel. It says it covers 80% of medically necessary emergency care services during the 1st 60 days of each trip outside the USA after a $250 deductible is met, up to a lifetime maximum of $50,000.

 

We definitely get travel insurance with good medical coverage in addition to what that policy will cover.

 

 

Thankyou, that is exactly the sort of policy i had in mind when I posted.

[Kingofcool1947]

Is there decent medical insurance for seniors on Medicare when out of the country.?

 

That depends.

How old are you?

Do you have pre existing medical conditions?

Good luck. God willing, enjoy your cruise.

[billslowsky]

Don't some have limited coverage and life time limits?

 

Something to think about when choosing a plan.

 

Medicare Supplement insurance is Standardized. Foreign coverage on seven of the common plans is 80% of reasonable charges with a $50,000 lifetime benefit. It's good for trips - not moving out of the country.

 

Just check with their agent before buying anything, it may be redundant. Ask about medical evacuation - it may not be included since it's not medical care.

[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

Thankyou, that is exactly the sort of policy i had in mind when I posted.

 

You are most welcome, Sails, I try to help when I can!

[billslowsky]

Thankyou, that is exactly the sort of policy i had in mind when I posted.

 

But keep in mind that travel insurance - unless you really pay through the nose - pays only after your personal health insurance pays. Assuming you are on Medicare, Medicare pays first (if at all), then your supplemental policy, then your travel policy.

 

We had a big claim one time. First was our major medical, then our divers' insurance, and then finally the travel policy we bought. Eventually it all got paid, but it's not simple and you have to follow the billing strictly.

 

And of course, our credit card got hit first.

[kftw]

https://www.geobluetravelinsurance.com/ ...click on Travel Medical Plans....

 

 

Suggest you explore the Trekker or Voyager options.

 

This is medical only....no trip cancellation or interruption coverage.

 

Requires that you have an 'in force' medical plan in the US....Medicare qualifies for this.

 

Our friends have used this & we plan to try it too. If you have multiple trips, you have the option of getting a policy for a year. You only have to purchase the plan before your date of departure and not when trip is booked.

[bakcd]

Two years ago, our enhanced medicare paid for major surgery in a foreign hospital after we paid upfront. In the end, travel insurance paid very little. It did help for coverage of new flights. I will have to look into lifetime limits to see how it affects us.

[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

...... Ask about medical evacuation - it may not be included since it's not medical care.

 

A very valid point I probably should have mentioned myself. Evacuation coverage is very important indeed....make sure to have it and try to get higher limits if you can....in addition to medical coverage. I guess it depends on where you are travelling to. A million miles from nowhere? Best to get much higher limits on evacuation!

[ilovhywd]

Another policy you may want to consider is MedJet Assist. We bought it this year because our cruise goes to some third world countries very far from the USA. This policy covers evacuation from any hospital in any country to the hospital of your CHOICE - not the nearest hospital.

 

This is in addition to our normal cancellation/interruption/medical care policy.

 

 

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[innlady1]

On our upcoming cruise, I have HAL’s Platinum plan and I have a BC/BC Bronze supplemental plan.

 

Is that adequate should an emergency occur?

 

TIA

 

 

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[Scrapnana]

As far as I am concerned, HAL's (or any other cruise line's) medical coverage is a joke. It would likely cover a very minor trip to the emergency room and not a whole lot more. The biggest benefit from the HAL plans is the cancellation portion, IMHO.

 

How much coverage does your supplemental give you for medical, evacuation, and repatriation? Those are the major ones I look for.

[Xport]

Medicare Supplement insurance is Standardized. Foreign coverage on seven of the common plans is 80% of reasonable charges with a $50,000 lifetime benefit. It's good for trips - not moving out of the country.

 

I am a retired Benefits Director for a major corporation and you are--best I know--correct about the foreign travel provisions of Medicare Supplements....

 

That said, some choose to augment Medicare via a Medicare Advantage Plan... Benefits can be superior in terms of inclusions/cost sharing to those provided [some even include pharmacy benefits] through a Medicare Supplement but, in turn, they tend to be offered on a geographically localized basis with a very narrow array of participating physicians, hospitals, and ancillary medical service providers--think of a strictly controlled HMO--with little [if any] coverage for services provided outside the residence-based service area network...

 

For that reason, Medicare Advantage Plans don't tend to be particularly favorable selections for those with multiple residences in the United States [ie; I spend part of the year in Florida and part of the year in New Jersey] let alone when traveling outside the country...

 

It is essential that one carefully/thoroughly know the related out-of-area service provisions--if they exist-- associated with the plan in which one is personally enrolled... The semantics--Supplement versus Advantage--can be tricky/confusing--and broad-based comments, however well intended here--can lead to inappropriate decisions...

[drowelf]

But keep in mind that travel insurance - unless you really pay through the nose - pays only after your personal health insurance pays. Assuming you are on Medicare, Medicare pays first (if at all), then your supplemental policy, then your travel policy

 

That s not always true. I've found several companies that I've used in the past provide primary insurance for my travel needs at a reasonable price. TravelEx, Global Alert and CSA are companies I've used in the past. I use one of the Travel Insurance Brokerage site (Insuremytrip.com, SquareMouth.com) and compare policies and rates. The one thing I always insure is that there is enough Medical Evacuation Coverage. It can be very expensive to have to be flown home on a whim, because of an injury. When we went on our South America/Antarctica cruise, I went with $1,000,000.00 of Medical Evacuation Coverage.

[Sea42]

https://www.geobluetravelinsurance.com/ ...click on Travel Medical Plans....

 

 

Suggest you explore the Trekker or Voyager options.

 

This is medical only....no trip cancellation or interruption coverage.

 

Requires that you have an 'in force' medical plan in the US....Medicare qualifies for this.

Thanks for sharing this. I was looking for strictly medical/evac insurance. Even though I'm not a senior our insurance is very "Network" focused and I don't think anything in the South Pacific qualifies!

[Ask4Jay]

Seriously consider medical evacuation coverage. We are in our 80s and don’t cruise without it. Thank goodness, so far it’s been for naught.

[What was that?]

I would suggest that you look at the credit card you used to pay for your trip. I use one that provides similar coverage to what I used to buy from insuremytrip.com, and it covers a bunch of other things. It is a Citi American Airlines Executive World Elite card. I am sure there are many others. The annual fee is $450, but I used to pay that for insurance on one trip. What’s in your wallet? [emoji925][emoji568][emoji924]

 

 

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[Sea42]

I would suggest that you look at the credit card you used to pay for your trip. I use one that provides similar coverage to what I used to buy from insuremytrip.com, and it covers a bunch of other things. It is a Citi American Airlines Executive World Elite card. I am sure there are many others. The annual fee is $450, but I used to pay that for insurance on one trip. What’s in your wallet? [emoji925][emoji568][emoji924]

 

 

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Our CC covers cancellation/interruption etc. but no medical or evacuation coverage.

[Hlitner]

The answer to the OP's question is yes. But as to the best option, it depends on the individual's own situation, other insurance, risk tolerance, etc. My suggestion is that the OP post more specifics on the Cruise Discussion Topics/Cruise Travel insurance blog here on CC and some of us will try and offer solutions. As to any coverage you might have from a Medicare Supplemental Policy, the coverage varies as there are a few options permitted by Medicare. It often makes sense to telephone your supplemental carrier and ask them to explain your out of country coverage and to tell you where to get that detailed info in writing.

 

My one warning (to everyone) is to be very careful if you plan on relying on the various cruise line trip policies. Most cruise line policies include very low Medical coverage amounts (often $10,000 or less) which is not adequate insurance in this world.

Hank