Questions & answers · Travel insurance
Does Medicare pay for care if I get sick or hurt outside the United States?
Travel insuranceWho paysChecked Nov 6, 2026
From K.Actuary, founded by Sangmin Kwon, ASA · sources checked 2026-11-06 · Source: GovInfo · 42 CFR § 411.9 Services furnished outside the United States · (a), (b) View original ↗
In short
- Medicare usually does not pay for care outside the United States.
- There are a few narrow exceptions for hospital stays.
- Ships count as in the U.S. only near a U.S. port.
What this means
The federal rule says that, except as it allows, Medicare does not pay for services given outside the United States. It lists the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands as the United States [1]. On a ship, care counts as in the U.S. if it is given in a U.S. port, or within 6 hours before arrival or after departure from one [1]. A hospital outside those places counts as outside the U.S., even if the U.S. government runs it [1].
There is a narrow exception. Medicare may pay for covered inpatient care in a foreign hospital, and for doctor and ambulance services tied to that stay. It pays only for the days of the inpatient stay [1].
For an emergency, the rules set these conditions. You were in the U.S. when the emergency happened, or you were in Canada on a direct trip between Alaska and another state. The foreign hospital must be closer or easier to reach than the nearest U.S. hospital that can treat you. It must be a licensed hospital, and the payment conditions for emergency services in § 424.103 must be met [2]. For care that is not an emergency, you need to live in the U.S. The foreign hospital must be closer to your home than a U.S. hospital that can treat you. It must be licensed and accredited as the rule says. The services must be ones Medicare would pay for in a participating hospital [3]. The sources here do not say what a Medigap or Medicare Advantage plan pays abroad: "Don't know yet".
Your next step
Before you travel, check whether your care outside the U.S. would meet one of these narrow cases [1] [2] [3]. The sources give no deadline.
Check it yourself
Open the CFR sections in Sources 1 to 3. Your own plan papers hold details these sources do not give: "Don't know yet" for your plan.
Where this comes from (3)
[1] GovInfo · 42 CFR § 411.9 Services furnished outside the United States · (a), (b) · checked 2026-11-06
Except as specified in paragraph (b) of this section, Medicare does not pay for services furnished outside the United States. For purposes of this paragraph (a), the following rules apply: (1) The United States includes the 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, The Northern Mariana Islands … Services furnished on board ship are considered to have been furnished in…
[2] GovInfo · 42 CFR § 424.122 Conditions for payment for emergency inpatient hospital services · (a), (b) · checked 2026-11-06
At the time of the emergency that required the inpatient hospital services, the beneficiary was- (1) In the United States; or (2) In Canada traveling between Alaska and another State without unreasonable delay and by the most direct route … The foreign hospital was closer to, or more accessible from, the site of the emergency than the nearest United States hospital equipped to deal with, and available to treat, the i…
[3] GovInfo · 42 CFR § 424.123 Conditions for payment for nonemergency inpatient services furnished by a hospital closer to the individual's residence · (a), (b) · checked 2026-11-06
The beneficiary is a resident of the United States … The foreign hospital is closer or more accessible to the beneficiary's residence than the nearest United States hospital equipped to deal with, and available to treat, the individual's illness or injury … The foreign hospital is- (1) A hospital as defined in § 424.101 and, it is licensed, or approved as meeting the conditions for licensing, by the appropriate agenc…
How we found this
We matched your question to 3 official sources, quoted the exact lines, and re-checked each quote against its source on 2026-11-06.
What we don’t know yet
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Information only — not legal advice. Your plan, insurer or agency decides.
This answer quotes the official sources listed above, with the date we checked them. Your own policy, notice and state rules control. We are not your lawyer or your insurer. We don’t file, argue or negotiate claims for you — you send any letter or form yourself.
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