Lukaboy

We live in the States and have Medicare. Will we need health insurance when traveling in UK?

MADPhil

You will get emergency treatment for accidents or illnesses that occur during your visit but it looks as if things have changed and you may be billed: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-38876527. Medicare will not pay for anything so you should get travel insurance unless you have a Medicare supplementary policy which does cover you. You should also get coverage for medical transport back to the US because you may be discharged in a state that requires it.

As an example, I broke my arm on holiday in France last year and my insurance covered emergency treatment but not surgery. I was discharged with the arm in a sling but it did not impede me for the rest of the trip and, luckily, I was flying up front so I had space. I eventually received a bill for about $170 for medical care plus $16 for the sling.

garykung

Check with your Medicare Supplement/Advantage insurer.

dddc

Not knowing if Medicare from the USA covers overseas travel, I would strongly recommend shopping around and taking appropriate travel insurance that includes emergency treatment, medication, follow up sessions and repatriation back to the USA if required. Ensure it includes extra hotel costs for your travel companion and some sort of small expense allowance for meals and other small essential items. You may find you want to visit a Doctor just for something mundane, but these will be billed a private treatments by them. If you have any pre-existing medical conditions, ensure you declare them or you may find the insurer may use it as wriggle room to escape paying a claim.

Also be aware the a lot of policies now exclude certain seemingly normal holiday activities unless extra premiums are paid. Jet-ski and even banana boat rides are excluded from some for example.

NWIFlyer

Whilst we do have a National Health Service, that is funded through general taxation, free use of it does not extend to US citizens on vacation.

As others have said, the NHS would treat you but you would be charged the appropriate rate for that treatment - and that would not cover any repatriation home.

It would be as reckless to not have insurance coverage in the UK as it is in the US. Check your Medicare policy and if it's insufficient then take out a dedicated policy.

lhrsfo

MoreMilesPlease

Traditional Medicare does not cover any treatment out of the USA. if you have a policy where yiu get your Medicare coverage via a more traditional health insurer ( such as AARP United Healthcare) then there may be some out of the USA coverage. You will need to talk directly to who your coverage is with ( but traditional Medicare does not cover).

Any insurance coverage would be limited and probably not cover repatriation ( alive or dead) or extended living expenses,if needed. It really is best to get a separate policy or look at any credit cards you may have to see if hey provide any type of coverage.

The NHS has gotten better about billing/charging for healthcare. But it does depend if it's strictly emergency care through A&E or inpatient care. If you are admitted you can almost guarantee a bill to be paid.

MoreMilesPlease

Very few Americans have an annual policy. They can also be quite expensive for a resident of the USA. To get an annual policy you must first have USA health insurance and it becomes primary and the travel policy secondary. Obviously this can;t happen from the UK. Plus for someone to be repatriated back to the UK under the NHS is relatively easy and straightforward. It's much more complicated back to the USA.

Most will buy per trip coverage. I know when I lived in the UK an annual policy was quite cheap if I excluded the USA as a travel destination. When I bought an annual policy as a USA resident it was expensive and much more limited than my UK policy was.

UKtravelbear

The NHS will not pay to repatriate someone back to the UK! Nor does the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC scheme) where that is applcable

If you don't have travel insurance that covers repatriation you are left to your own resources / borrowing money.

LondonElite

NickB

MoreMilesPlease

I understand that. But as a perm resident of the UK it is fairly easy and straightforward to be repatriated back to the UK via the NHS under a travel policy It is much more complicated to be repatriated back to the USA for hospitalization under any circumstances..

Mizter T

I would instead suggest the phrasing "repatriated back to the UK into the NHS". (The NHS doesn't offer repatriation services, at least not as such.)

LondonElite

UKtravelbear

I really don't understand this. Can you explain why you think this would be the situation?

But again the NHS does not repatriate. That's down to the insurer (or patient if not insured). Insurers actually liaise with the patients local hospital and organise an admission if necessary

Why won't a US travel insurance company do the same with an American patients medical provider?