Health Insurance Medicare international

[jim_thomsen]

Hi,
Well, another of those big life events. I just signed up for Medicare! Now I need to look at supplemental plans. I know some do cover foreign travel, but I don't know much about that.
Anyone know if there is a good plan that will cover me in foreign countries, not just for short trips?
We live and travel by sailboat and have been cruising for 8 years, starting in Europe and now in Palau so we are really non-residents of the USA and I would like my insurance to cover me if anything happens.
Suggestions?
Thank you very much.

[Usagi]

I've been getting Medicare for a number of years. I have opted for a Medicare advantage plan. The $100 or so per month taken from my SS is paid automatically to Coventry who then act as insurers. I am not cruising yet but I hope to do so soon. I don't believe they will cover out of the US care, emergency care maybe. But I also believe that if one drops the $100 per month Medicare premium there's a severe penalty that increases each year one refuses coverage. It may pay to keep the Medicare to cover catastrophic illness, more likely as I age.
The plans available depend on where you live which may be in Florida if you use a mail service.
I see that some countries are now requiring health insurance. This could be a problem for me and other older people.

[John A]

My sister enrolled me in SS in Washington State when I turned 62 in 2002, while I was in the Caribbean. In 2005, I visited the SS office on the island of St Thomas in the USVI's and enrolled in Medicare. Per the offices suggestions I also included Type B and Type D. Currently, $103 a month is deducted from my SS payment for Type B. If I had not enrolled when I was 65, Type B would have been higher and drugs under Type D would have a higher copay. Medicare only works in US Government approved Health Care organizations and Type B pays 80%. Medicare works in PR and the USVI's.

When I returned from cruising, I enrolled in the AARP endorsed supplemental plan to cover the remaining 20% of type B coverage. In 2009 this cost $152 a month and increased to $160 a month the next year. I switched to a local company that uses Blue Cross for $56 a month, this will increase to $63 a month for 2014 and copays have gone up $5 to the $20-$30 range. With ACA, more services are offered.
BTW for reasons known only to Congress, you are allowed to change your supplemental plans, that you currently have, only during specific dates in the fall, and those dates change from year to year.

[Usagi]

Specifically, like John A, $103 is deducted from my SS monthly. Coventry, as most insurance companies covers more than 80% so I don't feel the need for a suplemental insurance. I had United Health Care's AARP endorsed policy a few years ago... until they started charging an additional premium above the $103 they get through the government.
My present co-pays are:
$15 Office Visit
$40 Specialist Visit
$65 ER
$35 Urgent Care

Coventry also includes Part D prescription drugs, no extra charge. There are deductibles but drugs are quite reasonable.

I am wondering if ACA or Veteran's benefits might affect me. I'm class 5 in the VA but haven't used their services at all.

I'm expecting a settlement which will give me enough to buy a boat and start cruising. I have heard that medical costs outside the US are much more affordable. I am wondering just what I should do and what would be available as I cruise.

[chuckr]

i can only telll you what we do -- i am 69 and patty is 67 - we both have medicare part a and b (i think that is what they are called) and never use either - we have been out 6 years and pay locally for heath problems - patty had a hand operation in cartagena colombia that was excellent and very inexpensive, i had plastic surgery in trinidad to remove a nasty growth on my nose and also reasonable out of pocket - we both have been to a dermotologist here in tunisia and again a doc visit is 24usd -
if you want to see our expenses for heath coverage -- go to dollars and cents in this forum and i have put out there 5 years of cost data and that includes all our medical and dental
as info i am leaving the boat in 30 minutes to get a crown from a root canal - total cost was less than $360 usd for the entire root canal - try to get that in the usa