How to Use Healthcare Benefits While Traveling Abroad

Traveling abroad doesn't mean your healthcare coverage goes blank. With a little prep, you can handle care smoothly and even turn preventive actions into wealth-building opportunities. The trick is knowing what your plan covers, what extra resources you can use, and how WellthCare can keep your health and finances on track.

Step 1: Know What Your Existing Health Plan Covers Abroad

Most traditional employer-sponsored health plans offer little to no coverage outside the U.S. Before you travel, check these:

• Emergency vs. non-emergency care: Most plans cover only emergency or urgent care abroad, not routine checkups or preventive services.
• Out-of-network penalties: International providers are rarely in-network, so you might face high deductibles, coinsurance, or full costs upfront.
• Medicare and Medicaid: Original Medicare generally doesn't cover care outside the U.S., and Medicaid stops at the border.
• Self-funded plans: If your employer is self-funded, international coverage rules vary, so check your Summary Plan Description (SPD) carefully.

If your plan offers international coverage, carry your insurance ID card and a list of emergency contact numbers. If not, you'll need a plan B.

Step 2: Add a Travel Medical Insurance Policy

For trips abroad, consider a short-term travel medical insurance policy. They're affordable and built for international emergencies:

• Cover emergency medical evacuation, something your regular plan likely excludes.
• Provide direct payment to hospitals, so you don't have to pay upfront and wait for reimbursement.
• Often include 24/7 assistance to help you find English-speaking providers.

Many travel insurance companies offer cancel for any reason add-ons, but for healthcare, focus on medical limits high enough to cover a serious hospital stay plus emergency evacuation.

Step 3: Use WellthCare as Your Preventive Care and Wealth-Building System

WellthCare isn't travel insurance, but it can be your most powerful tool for staying healthy abroad and building wealth while you do it. Here's how it works:

• Before you leave: Complete a preventive health scan and your personalized plan of care. This helps catch issues before you go and reduces risk.
• While traveling: Use the WellthCare app to track preventive actions (healthy habits, scans, routine checks) and earn reward dollars at the WellthCare Store™. Even abroad, you earn dollars that wait for you when you return. Real, spendable rewards.
• After you return: Use those Store dollars for FSA-approved health products, and your automatic retirement contributions keep growing. Healthcare that pays you back, even from afar.

Because WellthCare offers $0-co-pay care and works alongside your existing plan with no disruption, it rewards you for staying healthy, anywhere in the world.

Step 4: Know How to Access Care When You Need It

If you get sick or injured abroad, follow this practical checklist:

1. Call your travel medical insurance provider first for pre-authorization and guidance.
2. Use the WellthCare app to see if any earned Store dollars cover immediate supplies (like over-the-counter items from international FSA-eligible lists).
3. Keep all receipts and documentation for possible reimbursement later.
4. Contact your employer's benefits administrator if you're on a self-funded plan that includes international coverage; some offer concierge services.

The WellthCare Readiness Index™ also helps your employer know when to expand to a fully self-funded WellthCare Complete™ plan, with projected savings of 30-45% versus traditional carriers.

Step 5: Plan Ahead for Preventive Care While Traveling

Preventive care is the foundation of WellthCare's Health-to-Wealth™ system. In many countries, basic preventive services (vaccinations, dental cleanings, wellness checks) are far cheaper than in the U.S. Here are a few tips:

• Check if your travel insurance covers preventive services. Many don't. Preventive actions that tie to your plan of care can still earn reward dollars at the WellthCare Store when verified.
• Use international pharmacies wisely. Medications are often cheaper abroad, and WellthCare Pharmacy™ can help you compare prices when you return.
• Stay connected to your WellthCare plan of care via the app. It can remind you of healthy actions to take, even in a different time zone.

Medigap Foreign Travel Emergency Coverage

Original Medicare doesn't cover routine care abroad, but six standardized Medigap plans (C, D, F, G, M, and N) include foreign travel emergency coverage. They pay 80% of billed charges for medically necessary emergency care after a $250 annual deductible, up to a $50,000 lifetime limit, and only for emergencies that begin within the first 60 days of a trip. Because that $50,000 cap is a lifetime ceiling, frequent travelers still often add a separate travel medical policy for evacuation and extra limits.

Bottom Line

You don't have to choose between health and travel. With a short-term travel medical policy for emergencies and WellthCare as your ongoing preventive health and wealth system, you can stay confident, healthy, and building value, no matter where you go. And since WellthCare costs you nothing and works alongside any plan, there's no reason to leave it behind when you cross the border. WellthCare is the first Health-to-Wealth™ Benefit System that goes wherever you go. Every verified preventive action, even abroad, earns store dollars at the WellthCare Store and builds retirement wealth automatically.