Lumaktaw sa pangunahing content

Medicare and Living Abroad

Medicare enrollment can be complicated if you live outside the United States. This means that you do not live inside the  50 states of the U.S, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, or the Northern Mariana Islands. Although Medicare does not typically cover medical costs you receive when you live abroad, you still need to choose whether to enroll in Medicare when you become eligible or to turn down enrollment. 

This is subject to consideration as well;

  • Whether you plan to return to the U.S.
  • Whether you are working or volunteering outside the U.S.
  • The potential costs of delayed enrollment

If you are 65 or older and qualify for Medicare, you can enroll in Medicare Parts A and B, also known as Original Medicare, either before or after you leave the U.S. However, you must remember that Medicare will typically not cover medical care you receive outside the U.S. 

Part A coverage is the best to keep even if you are moving abroad because you do not have to pay for its premium, or in other words, it is considered free. However, If you do not qualify for premium-free Part A, because you may only be able to enroll in Medicare if you live in the U.S., You can still have Part B coverage, but this time, you must pay the monthly Part B premium. You may want to keep Part B if you plan to move back to the U.S. in the future or visit frequently because paying the premium to keep Part B when abroad will ensure that Medicare will cover your care whenever you travel to the U.S. and that you will not face premium penalties or gaps in coverage.

If you fail to pay for Part B while abroad, once you move back to the U.S., you may go months without health coverage. This is because you may have to wait until the General Enrollment Period (GEP), which runs January 1 through March 31 each year, with coverage starting July 1.

If you have a Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part D plan before you move abroad, you should disenroll and stop paying these premiums when you move because these plans require that you live in their service area in order to be enrolled.

Note that this information only applies if you are living abroad; it does not apply if you are simply taking a trip. 


If you have specific questions, contact the Social Security Administration (800-772-1213) or the Consulate or Embassy in your country of residence before making any final decisions about Medicare enrollment.

Mga etiketa:

Mga Komento

Mag-post ng isang Komento

Mga sikat na post sa blog na ito

Medicare Part D Costs for 2020

Before 2006, Medicare did not cover prescription medications. There was a limited number of medications that were offered under Medicare Part Band,  and otherwise, you had to pay for your medications out of pocket. In 2003, everything had changed when President George W. Bush passed the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act (MMA). This is what we now know of as  Medicare Part D , an optional part of Medicare that provides prescription drug coverage. Part D plans are run by private insurance companies and not by the government. However, the federal government sets guidelines on what basic medications are covered and how much you can be charged.  A deductible is the amount of money you spend out of pocket before your prescription drug benefits begin. Your plan may or may not have a deductible. The maximum deductible a plan can charge for 2020 is set at $435. It has increased by  $20 from 2019...
Mag-post ng isang Komento
Magbasa nang higit pa

Medicare and Hospital Discharged Planning

Hospital  discharge  planning is a process that determines what kind of care you will need after you leave the hospital. This discharge plans can help prevent future readmissions , and they should make your move from the hospital to your home or another facility as safe as possible. Medicare  requires hospitals to screen  inpatients  and provide discharge p lanning for those who need it. But this  is only mandatory for hospital inpatients, if you are an  outpatient, possibly  on  observation status,   Medicare will not require screening or discharge planning. However, there are some states that provide outpatients with rights to discharge planning services. For more information on discharge planning in your state, please contact your  State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) . Your  discharge plan  should include information about where you will be discharged to, the types of care you need, and who will provi...
Mag-post ng isang Komento
Magbasa nang higit pa

Medicare & group health plan after you retire

Will my group health plan still work after I retire? It would depend on the terms of your specific plan. Other employers might not offer any health coverage after your retirement and even if you can get one, it might have different rules and might not work the same way with Medicare. When you have retiree coverage from an employer or union, they usually manage this coverage. Employers aren't required to provide retiree coverage, and if they would, they can change benefits or premiums, or even cancel coverage.  They may offer coverage that limits how much it will pay. It might only provide a stop-loss coverage that starts paying your out-of-pocket costs only when they reach of coverage that's covered. What happens to my retiree coverage when I'm eligible for Medicare? When you become eligible for Medicare, you will need to have both Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B to get full benefits from your retiree coverage. If your former employer offers retiree...
Mag-post ng isang Komento
Magbasa nang higit pa