The best travel insurance for senior citizens SHOULD BE Medicare. Let's fight for it NOW. #medicare

American seniors traveling... we deserve to do it. But the best travel insurance for senior citizens should be what we have already spent our lives paying into: Medicare. But Medicare does not cover us outside the US. Travel insurance can be expensive, unreliable and hard to get as a senior - and may not cover pre-existing conditions. And if you are an expat over 75 living in Thailand, the Philippines, France, Spain, or wherever, good luck getting a good health insurance policy. This video shows international Medicare health insurance is practical and financially feasible. Join our fight for it and let's make it happen together!

MY SAMPLE LETTER

Dear ___
I am requesting that you initiate or support legislation for senior citizen Americans to receive Medicare benefits internationally, whether they are residing overseas or traveling, with the same coverage as if they were in the US. We have paid into Social Security and Medicare our entire lives and must now pay Part B ($174 a month for 2024 - $2,088 annually) without receiving any benefits under original Medicare. It is possible and practical for Medicare to provide international medical care for both preventative care and emergencies, as evidenced by TriCare for Life's coverage. An investigation into the cost to the government for medical care for TriCare insureds out of the United States would likely reveal that the cost per individual is less than for insureds receiving care in the US. This is likely also true for Medicare recipients, as medical care is generally much cheaper outside of the US. Denying our right to Medicare benefits because we are out of the United States (and a few select territories) seems both illegal and punitive.

Many retired Americans live overseas because they cannot afford to live in America and still enjoy a quality life. They may choose to live in a country with a lower cost of living, or they may need to live with a family member outside of the country for personal reasons. It is heartless to compound their hardships by taking away their Medicare. Other Americans simply desire to live or travel internationally. As free Americans, should any of these individuals have their vested Medicare benefit conditional upon living in America? Medical care and drug costs are much lower outside of the US, and the care is often actually superior abroad. The government would save money by allowing medical care outside the US and could protect itself by limiting any procedure or drug not to exceed the approved Medicare cost in the US for the same treatments or medications.

Receiving Medicare benefits is the only option for many Americans living or traveling outside of the US to have health insurance, as trying to obtain a health insurance policy in other countries is impossible due to advanced age. Even if a policy can be purchased as a senior, pre-existing conditions are almost always excluded. The same is true regarding travel insurance. It means no protection for those conditions needing the most care. You are denying health insurance to half a million American senior citizens who live overseas and to millions more who live overseas part-time or travel internationally. Denying health insurance to those who have paid to earn this benefit when they need it the most as senior citizens is disrespectful. You and those in federal office need to examine the situation and provide a solution. TriCare has given you two successful models: PPO-type networks in the Philippines or self-pay and then reimbursement elsewhere.

Please let me know your plan of action. If you make this situation right, I will vote for you, and I will not do so if you don’t. Thank you in advance for doing what is right and just.

Sincerely,

LINKS TO OUR POLITICIANS:

ATTRIBUTIONS

00:00 Introduction
00:14 No Medicare outside the United States
04:07 The TriCare model shows international Medicare coverage can work
05:39 Medical costs outside the US are substantially cheaper
07:46 Make our voices heard in DC
14:23 Tutorial

#medicare #seniortravel #americanabroad

[whistler]

Boy! This is so very important and you did a great job explaining it clearly. I had no idea that this was the situation. It really is a major issue and it is time to address it and you have given us a roadmap to action! Many thanks!

[davedaniels]

Wow, this would be wonderful if it could happen! I live in a state where the congressmen want to cut social security benefits from seniors. And they might listen, but won't act. I plan to retire in Thailand next year. It would really help me to feel secure knowing the coverage is there. I wish all of us luck.

[roamingrandy]

Agree with your idea. Have sent the three politicians that are supposed to represent me the letter.

[WilliamFluery]

November 2010, I drank some water or ate something in a remote Thai village that left me with an amoeba. Two days later I caught a tuk-tuk to a hospital in Chiang Mai. I spent 3 days and two nights hooked up to antibiotic IVs. The cost for the doctor, nurses, lab work, medicine, private room with a mountain view totaled $657. I vowed whenever I got sick again, I would fly to Thailand for care.

[mangostickyrice]

Thumbs up 👍 Randy, I have a few more years before I qualify for Medicare, but I will definitely be contacting whoever I need to and try to get this passed 😎

[WilliamFluery]

What timing! I was looking at the medicare guidelines for expats this morning and remembered it was the VA who grants international medical benefits to veterans. This is encouraging. I’ll do what I can to work with you. I watch a lot of YouTube videos and can copy a link to this video in the comments of their vlogs. I can also encourage vloggers to discuss this topic when they have meet and greets with their expat communities. I wonder if there are US expat organizations which can be tapped to get the word out. Thanks for contributing your expertise to this matter.

[cadlac]

Thank you for information.
Happy Holidays to you.

[bensevilla]

Glad there is an awareness on this Medicare coverage. Thanks I'm following.

[MyTaurus]

I am moving overseas in a few years. We paid for Medicare, and where we are should not prevent us from getting it.

[REMONSTER]

By George, I think you are on to something here. It only takes a spark to get a fire going...

[chickyb]

Absolutely! This makes perfect sense and we deserve to have our medicare cover us when we are out of the USA

[rustyyb]

2017 sinuplasty performed by a surgeon at Medicom in Kyiv for $1170 that included three days hanging out in a private hospital room; even good food. Charged the cost to a credit card. The surgery and subsequent healing went seemingly perfectly. The surgeon pulled the wadding out of my nose and inspected the result, not a nurse. The sinuplasty produced life changing results.

[badams]

First let me say that I recently discovered your channel and believe it is one of the top 3, (actually the top) channel for helpful and entertaining useful information of all the Thai-centric ex-pat channels. This video really stood out for me as I am in the same position you described. Late 60s, living in Thailand nearly 3 years and increasingly concerned about long-term health costs. As one of the other commenters mentioned, my (former) representatives in the U.S. are more likely to be an obstacle to expanding Medicare coverage to ex-pats (or even U.S. tourists overseas) than they are to help.

I will do anything I can to help the cause, even if it might feel like tilting at windmills. Not only because I believe it is vitally important to the millions of ex-pats living overseas, but because it is a fair and just right as American citizens who have paid into the system all of our working lives. I wish I had more faith in our Congress to do the right thing for the right reasons, but I don't. Forgive me if I am bringing up worn-out topics but my instincts tell me that letter writing can be a good start to raising awareness, especially in the minds of younger, or dare I say more progressive members of Congress.

There are two things that never fail to get attention. The first being a well-funded lobbying effort similar to what the AARP has been able to build, even possibly in coordination with the AARP. The second thing is a class-action lawsuit. Unlike you, I am not an attorney, but it seems to me that there is a basis for a discrimination lawsuit based on the equal protection clause. We did not give up any of our other rights as citizens based on where we chose to reside. I don't see why Medicare coverage should be any different. The only defensible argument that I can think of from the government is the threat of fraud from overseas treatment facilities. And that would be a concern but not entirely different from the massive fraud that has occurred with U.S. based practitioners. In any event, there are workable solutions to every objection.

Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help. Now that I am retired, I have nothing but time on my hands and this is as worthwhile an endeavor as any I can think of.

[viprofessionals]

Randy, I will join you on this ... 👍🤝🇺🇸

[WanderlustReports]

Even though I'm not concerned, I wish you the best of luck in your crusade, Randy!

[StephenMorrill]

Hi, Thank you for trying to help us. A lot of Drs here don’t like taking Medicare because they are only reimbursed about 2/3 of the money that they were receive if if someone paid cash for his particular surgery I have found that a lot of doctors now are putting up a cash price for a certain surgeries so they can get the full payment. reimbursed about 2/3 of the money that they were receive if if someone paid cash for his particular surgery I have found that a lot of doctors now are putting up a cash price for a certain surgeries so they can get the full benefit. Just get an appointment. I had to sign that I would pay what Medicare wouldn’t pay for the appointment. If in Thailand, for example, Dr charges $15 then they may only get 10 and they would raise their price..

[LtDave]

Wow Randy, great job putting this video together into a succinct manner.

I will share this with some of the foreigner / military group forums on Facebook here in the Philippines.

Additionally, I have a good relationship with Congressman Ted Lieu and his West LA office. I'll make sure he gets this info for action!

Looking forward to future updates on your channel.

[losttravelingbackpacker]

I been saying us americans need this now lets act make change

[TandCinthePH]

I can’t believe something like this hasn’t been going viral, because something like this is important.

[joeusa]

This is the first time I’ve heard that my Tri-Care for life could be used in Thailand. I am 75 and seriously considering spending my remaining time in Thailand on a retirement visa. I have to admit that I have not called Tri-Care to explore the possibility.