Going around the world and seeing new countries is an exciting way to expand your cultural understanding. Unfortunately, medical emergencies can happen and cost you a lot of money. In these instances, Medigap can help.
Medical Care And Costs Vary Wildly In Other Nations
When a person travels overseas, they are at the mercy of their travel nation's medical care system. In most cases, countries have pretty reasonable and reliable healthcare systems. However, that isn't always the case. Some nations have better healthcare systems than others and may cause a person to get either sub-standard care or stuck with a huge bill.
The American Board of Medical Specialists typically has a variety of doctors and hospitals posted at U.S. embassies. The quality of these doctors and hospitals will vary, but they are generally high-quality and reliable. However, they may not accept most types of Medicare.
Coverage Is Limited Outside The USA
Generally speaking, Medicare will not pay for medical treatment outside of the United States. This includes all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Coverage will only kick in if you are in America and the foreign hospital is either the only one that can treat your or is closer than another hospital.
This situation is typically only in border states like Texas or Canada. In fact, if you are traveling through Canada between Alaska and another state, Medicare may pay for your coverage if you are closer to a Canadian hospital. Beyond these rare and rather specific moments, Medicare will not pay for your treatment.
Medigap Can Help
Medigap health insurance is designed to fill in the gaps between what your Medicare won't pay. For example, Medigap policies C through N will offer some kind of travel emergency health care coverage for travel outside of the country. Each policy will pay about 80 percent of your cost of care. This coverage will manage only your first 60 days of the trip and require a $250 deductible.
In most instances, your plan will have a limit of $50,000 per its lifetime. However, this is a major benefit for those who are traveling overseas. Rather than worry about getting angry bills in the mail or having to pay excessive money for the rest of their life, they can manage the situation in a constructive and money-saving way.
So anybody who plans on traveling around the world for an extended period need to consider getting this kind of Medigap insurance coverage. It can make their travel more enjoyable and avoid serious concerns and anxiety. For more information, contact companies like Senior Care Insurance Services.
Share11 September 2017
One day I was playing a game of basketball with a friend, and the friend I was playing ball with tripped and took a hard fall to the ground. He hit his head hard, but he insisted he was okay and just wanted to go home and take a nap. I knew in my heart that he was not thinking clearly, and I didn't feel right letting him go home. I talked him into letting me take him to the hospital, and after some tests, it was determined he had a bad concussion. The doctors told me that if I had let him go home and sleep, things could have taken a turn for the worse. I created this blog to remind everyone to look out for each other after injuries. Not everyone thinks clearly after a head injury, and just being a good friend could save a life.