Will Mom's Social Security and Medicare cover medical emergencies during her overseas trip?

Medicare generally does NOT cover healthcare services outside the US, with very limited exceptions (like if you're in Canada traveling directly to Alaska). However, some Medigap policies do provide foreign travel emergency healthcare coverage when you travel outside the US. Plan F specifically includes foreign travel emergency coverage with a $250 deductible and 80% coverage up to plan limits. But there are lifetime limits (usually $50,000) and it only covers emergency care. Check her specific Medigap policy details to confirm.

my mom went 2 barcelona last year and her medicare didnt cover anything! had to pay $$$ when she slipped and broke her wrist in madrid. get travel insurance!!!

There's actually some important distinctions about your mom's situation: 1) Her Social Security retirement benefits will continue normally while overseas for a short trip (only becomes an issue in certain countries if staying more than 30 days) 2) For medical coverage, Medicare itself provides almost zero international coverage 3) But Medigap Plan F does include foreign travel emergency benefits up to $50,000 lifetime with a $250 deductible and 20% coinsurance 4) IMPORTANT: Plan F only covers the first 60 days of each trip and only for emergency care I'd still strongly recommend a good travel medical policy as a backup since the Medigap coverage has that lifetime cap and only covers emergencies. Many travel insurances also include evacuation coverage which can be extremely valuable in a serious situation.

DONT TRUST THE FOREIGN COVERAGE!!! My husband had Plan F too and we thought we were covered on our Mediterranean cruise. He had a heart attack in Greece and the hospital bills were ASTRONOMICAL!!! The Medigap only covered a tiny fraction and we're STILL fighting with them 2 years later!!! The paperwork is RIDICULOUS - everything has to be translated and they keep denying claims. GET TRAVEL INSURANCE NO MATTER WHAT!!!

Getting through to Social Security is nearly impossible these days. I spent weeks trying to reach someone about my own Medicare coverage when traveling. Tried calling at all different times of day but just disconnected after hours on hold. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to an agent in about 15 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Was totally worth it to get my questions answered directly by SSA instead of guessing. The agent confirmed Medicare's limitations overseas but explained that my mom's retirement benefits wouldn't be affected by a short trip.

My personal experience: went to Canada last summer, tripped on a curb and had to get 3 stitches in my forearm. Total bill was $435 Canadian which Medicare refused to cover even though I was just across the border! My Medigap Plan G covered about 70% after I submitted all the paperwork and waited 4 months for processing. The travel insurance I bought for $65 would have covered it all if the bill had been higher than what Medigap paid. For a 3-week Europe trip, I'd definitely get dedicated travel insurance - peace of mind is worth it.

just wondering does her ss checks still get deposited while shes traveling? my aunt went to philippines for 3 months and had problems with her bank

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! I've checked mom's Medigap Plan F policy and confirmed it does include the foreign travel emergency coverage ($250 deductible, 80% coverage up to $50,000 lifetime). Based on your advice, I'm also getting her a supplemental travel medical policy for peace of mind. Found one that specifically coordinates with Medicare/Medigap and includes medical evacuation coverage. Mom's really excited about her trip now that we have the insurance figured out. I appreciate all the personal experiences shared - it really helped us make an informed decision!