Medical Care in Canada

Basic Medicare (not an Advantage Plan) willcover while going through Canada to Alaska. If you have a Medicare supplement (recommended) most plans cover foreign emergency care. Plans A,B,K,L, do not have foreign coverage. All others include it. Plan F is considered the Cadillac plan because it covers almost everything that can happen. There is also a high deductible plan F that covers the same but has a $2110 deductible before covering all the rest. The premium for that almost makes up the deductible. An Advantage plan has as many restrictions in it as the insurer wants to add. I do not sell Advantage plans but I do sell the rest of them.

IDman wrote:
Supposedly....Medicare will cover you in Canada IF you are on a direct route to Alaska, or returning on a direct route. This was told to me by a Medicare employee a couple of years ago. I bought a trip plan anyway, as I don't trust government employees.

It looks like that is more truthful that other utterances about health plans I have heard. http://www.medicare.gov/coverage/travel-need-health-care-outside-us.html

Supposedly....Medicare will cover you in Canada IF you are on a direct route to Alaska, or returning on a direct route. This was told to me by a Medicare employee a couple of years ago. I bought a trip plan anyway, as I don't trust government employees.

Canada will never turn some one away that needs immediate medical attention. You'll get fixed up and then we worry about collecting. Having said that, carry some form of supplemental medical care to cover you in Canada, for the time you will be here.
BTC

Outside the U.S. I think I have at least three resources:

I bought an 'N' supplement to Part B. This provides some coverage for international travel.

For major trips, I buy emergency medical and evacuation packages. You can buy this annually as well. Usually, it is limited and secondary, and for major emergencies.

For the small stuff, up to a few thousand dollars, I'll pay it out of pocket. I probably wouldn't travel if I thought I could not afford to take care of medical care costs. You sort of need to be able to do this, because in most places the terms are "pay when services rendered" and you deal with insurers about reimbursement.

P.S. had my appendix taken out in Barbados, friend broke a leg in Rome, so have some experience with this.