My medigap covers foreign travel. Why not use it?

[LGinPA]

Hi Steve,

 

I looked into my Medigap insurance carrier's foreign travel emergency plan and it's the typical plan where "benefits will be paid only if the care is not covered by Medicare, but would have been covered by Medicare if it had been received in the USA. 20% after $250 annual deductible with a $50,000 lifetime limit."

 

I also read on your Trip Insurance Store Medicare and Medigap section where it recommends getting primary medical coverage in case of a claim so I would not be using up my lifetime limit. 

 

Why not use it? And in the unfortunate situation where it was used, or partially used, for future trips buy medical insurance?   

[Benthayer Gonbak]

29 minutes ago, LGinPA said:

Hi Steve,

 

I looked into my Medigap insurance carrier's foreign travel emergency plan and it's the typical plan where "benefits will be paid only if the care is not covered by Medicare, but would have been covered by Medicare if it had been received in the USA. 20% after $250 annual deductible with a $50,000 lifetime limit."

 

I also read on your Trip Insurance Store Medicare and Medigap section where it recommends getting primary medical coverage in case of a claim so I would not be using up my lifetime limit. 

 

Why not use it? And in the unfortunate situation where it was used, or partially used, for future trips buy medical insurance?   

What happens if your foreign needs unfortunately are severe enough to exceed you lifetime cap?   And, do the supplement payouts as secondary count toward your lifetime cap?  

[LGinPA]

3 hours ago, Benthayer Gonbak said:

What happens if your foreign needs unfortunately are severe enough to exceed you lifetime cap?   

 

Thank you for the reply.

 

I admit there is a small risk that medical expenses can exceed that of a day spent in an ER.  But if I'm willing to take that risk then surely the 50k coverage is enough. 

 

3 hours ago, Benthayer Gonbak said:

  And, do the supplement payouts as secondary count toward your lifetime cap?  

 

I honestly don't understand your question. When I looked up my foreign travel coverage, all that was included was what I quoted above.  Would it be possible for you to clarify, perhaps with an example?

 

[Benthayer Gonbak]

10 hours ago, LGinPA said:

 

Thank you for the reply.

 

I admit there is a small risk that medical expenses can exceed that of a day spent in an ER.  But if I'm willing to take that risk then surely the 50k coverage is enough. 

 

 

I honestly don't understand your question. When I looked up my foreign travel coverage, all that was included was what I quoted above.  Would it be possible for you to clarify, perhaps with an example?

 

 

let me begin by saying part of what I posted are indeed my concerns with my secondary insurance although I have a cap on out of pocket payments of approved charges.

 

im concerned about what happens when the charges are higher than “usual and customary, but that’s probably another thread.  
 

My question was if you have charges of say $500 a year that the supplemental insurance is paying does that deduct from your lifetime cap.  If so that would basically render your supplemental useless after a serious foreign country event over whatever your lifetime cap has become.  I really don’t know the answer to that as my supplemental appears to not have a lifetime cap.  And they rarely show my out of pocket expenses more than $30 a year, because I have a cap on out of pocket, not usage.  Hope that helps clarify, if not I’ll try again. 

Edited December 18, 2022 by Benthayer Gonbak

[LGinPA]

2 hours ago, Benthayer Gonbak said:

 

let me begin by saying part of what I posted are indeed my concerns with my secondary insurance although I have a cap on out of pocket payments of approved charges.

 

im concerned about what happens when the charges are higher than “usual and customary, but that’s probably another thread.  
 

My question was if you have charges of say $500 a year that the supplemental insurance is paying does that deduct from your lifetime cap.  If so that would basically render your supplemental useless after a serious foreign country event over whatever your lifetime cap has become.  I really don’t know the answer to that as my supplemental appears to not have a lifetime cap.  And they rarely show my out of pocket expenses more than $30 a year, because I have a cap on out of pocket, not usage.  Hope that helps clarify, if not I’ll try again. 

 

The $50,000 lifetime limit is ONLY within foreign travel.  Therefore any expenses occurred here in the US wouldn't cut into that foreign travel limit. (I think that is what your concern is? )

 

I have a new premium CC that covers up to $10k per person and includes trip cancellation & interruption, lost luggage, delays, etc but does not include medical.  I was considering using it to pay for our travel expenses and rely on my Medigap plan for medical. 

[Benthayer Gonbak]

58 minutes ago, LGinPA said:

 

The $50,000 lifetime limit is ONLY within foreign travel.  Therefore any expenses occurred here in the US wouldn't cut into that foreign travel limit. (I think that is what your concern is? )

 

I have a new premium CC that covers up to $10k per person and includes trip cancellation & interruption, lost luggage, delays, etc but does not include medical.  I was considering using it to pay for our travel expenses and rely on my Medigap plan for medical. 

 

I’ve looked at some of that too, but I want the med evac coverage for sure.  What I’ve also considered is a way to get the co-pays cover as my supplement is required to be secondary.  I was hoping I’d see a way through this mess too, especially as we all age! 

[klfrodo]

I think it all comes down to your personal risk tolerance level.

 

I tend to think of worst-case scenario. 

What if I experience the widow maker while walking around in Paris?  Is $50K going to prevent my partner from possible financial bankruptcy? What if I don't survive? Is there a plan in place to repatriate my remains?

 

If I can get an additional primary plan for $100K in medical that includes $250K in medivac and repatriation for $30 extra, then why not. But that's me. If I never use the $50K lifetime, I'm okay with that.

[Babr]

2 hours ago, LGinPA said:

 

The $50,000 lifetime limit is ONLY within foreign travel.  Therefore any expenses occurred here in the US wouldn't cut into that foreign travel limit. (I think that is what your concern is? )

 

I have a new premium CC that covers up to $10k per person and includes trip cancellation & interruption, lost luggage, delays, etc but does not include medical.  I was considering using it to pay for our travel expenses and rely on my Medigap plan for medical. 

Be careful about relying on credit card insurance. It does not cover pre-existing conditions for cancellation or trip interruption. If you have any kind of doctor’s appointment within the 60 days prior to booking, you could be disqualified depending on the outcome of that appointment even if it is just a RX change if it can be related to your reason for cancellation or interruption later.

Edited December 18, 2022 by Babr

[LGinPA]

Thanks to ALL who replied; your responses have been quite insightful. 🙂

 

I think I'm going to rely on my premium CC for the basic cancellation/interruption, and also buy one of the annual GeoBLue medical plans which include medical & medical evacuation. So far we have 2 international trips planned in 2023 for a total of 4 weeks out of the country.  

[iamtrustworthy]

On 12/17/2022 at 2:19 PM, LGinPA said:

Hi Steve,

 

I looked into my Medigap insurance carrier's foreign travel emergency plan and it's the typical plan where "benefits will be paid only if the care is not covered by Medicare, but would have been covered by Medicare if it had been received in the USA. 20% after $250 annual deductible with a $50,000 lifetime limit."

 

I also read on your Trip Insurance Store Medicare and Medigap section where it recommends getting primary medical coverage in case of a claim so I would not be using up my lifetime limit. 

 

Why not use it? And in the unfortunate situation where it was used, or partially used, for future trips buy medical insurance?   

Hi LGinPA,

 

> Why not use it? And in the unfortunate situation where it was used, or partially used, for future trips buy medical insurance?

 

As others have said, your risk is that you don't know how much a medical claim will be on that trip. It's rare, but if your medical costs exceed $50,000 you will wish you had bought travel insurance. Even more so if you need to be medically transported.

 

Steve Dasseos