Medicare and Travel Outside the U.S.

Neither Medicare Part A nor Part B covers any medical care -- even in an emergency -- outside the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa. If you're in the U.S. but a Canadian or Mexican hospital is closer, Medicare may cover emergency treatment there.

If you're enrolled in a Medicare Part C Medicare Advantage managed care plan, the plan might cover some emergency care while you're traveling abroad, but it depends entirely on the terms of the plan you're enrolled in. Also, some private Medigap supplemental insurance policies cover emergency medical care while traveling abroad. These policies usually pay 80 percent of costs after you pay a $250 deductible.

If you're going outside the U.S. but don't have a Medicare Advantage plan or a Medigap policy that covers foreign travel, you might consider buying a short-term travel insurance policy that covers you during that specific trip. You can buy one of these policies online or through a travel agent, making sure that the policy is issued from a reputable company and reading the fine print to determine if there are any exclusions that would make the policy worthless.