HOW MUCH DOES EXPAT HEALTH INSURANCE FOR AMERICANS COST?
Health insurance for American expats can range from as little as $170/month to almost $1,000/month per person or more. The price depends on the deductible, the coverage maximum, your age, and – most importantly – whether you need coverage in the US as well as abroad. Usually, insurance policies with coverage extended to the US are more expensive, due to the high cost of American healthcare.
If you include your spouse, the policy will be more expensive, but not as much as purchasing two separate policies. Including dependent children in the policy will also increase the monthly premiums.
DOES US MEDICARE COVER ME ABROAD?
No, in most cases Medicare will not cover your medical expenses outside the US. There are a few very specific instances during which Medicare might cover you even if you are treated in a foreign hospital:
- You are in US territory at the time of the medical emergency, and the nearest hospital that can treat you happens to be foreign.
- You are travelling through Canada “without unreasonable delay” using the most direct route between Alaska and another state at the time of the medical emergency and the nearest hospital happens to be Canadian rather than American.
- You live in the US, but the nearest hospital that can treat your medical condition happens to be foreign rather than American, even if the condition is not an emergency.
In any of these cases, Medicare will only cover you for the Medicare-covered services. They also decide what it means to be travelling “without unreasonable delay” on a case-by-case basis.
DOES OBAMACARE COVER ME ABROAD?
No, domestic health insurance plans purchased under Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act do not extend to outside the US. If you are travelling or moving abroad, you have to get either travel insurance or international health insurance.
FREE HEALTHCARE FOR US CITIZENS ABROAD
In some countries, American expats can have access to “free” healthcare, in the sense that you do not have to pay anything when you see a doctor or if you need medical treatment. However, it’s not really free, as you will be paying monthly contributions to the national healthcare fund of that country, either through deductions to your salary or directly.
But even in countries with free healthcare for expats, sometimes you have to pay small fees for certain procedures, hospital stays, or medications. Additionally, national health insurance does not cover treatment in private hospitals or evacuation to the US in case of emergencies.
