What happens to your health insurance when you leave the US?<\/p>\n
As an American considering a move abroad, this is the question I\u2019ve had the most difficulty working through. Health insurance is already a pain point for most Americans \u2013 add the thought of leaving the country entirely and I had no idea where to start.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve been following along on Instagram, you already know that my partner has started the process of applying for his Mexican citizenship. We don\u2019t have a move date locked in yet, but we\u2019re weighing our options and figuring out what this actually looks like for us in real life.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve spent 20+ years traveling internationally, but there\u2019s a big difference between a two-week trip and actually relocating your life to another country.<\/p>\n
So I did what I always do when I\u2019m trying to make a real decision: I researched it thoroughly, talked to professionals, and spoke with people who have actually made the move.<\/p>\n
What I found out surprised me in many ways, and made the decision a lot clearer than I expected. Here\u2019s the reality of what happens to your US health insurance when you leave, and what we\u2019re planning to do instead.<\/p>\n
Health Insurance Abroad \u2013 A Quick Look<\/strong><\/p>\n This is the part a lot of people don\u2019t understand initially.<\/p>\n Most domestic US health insurance plans are built for the US. Employer plans, marketplace plans, even Medicare \u2013 they\u2019re designed around a domestic network, and the moment you step outside of it for an extended period, you\u2019re largely on your own. Some plans technically offer international emergency coverage, but in practice that usually means paying out of pocket upfront and filing for reimbursement later, with no guarantee of what you\u2019ll actually get back.<\/p>\n I talked to a few people who had already made the move abroad, and the one thing that came up over and over was that there\u2019s no one-size-fits-all answer for healthcare. <\/p>\n Most expats end up buying annual policies based on their specific situation and where they\u2019re living. Nobody was still trying to make their US plan work from another country. They had all moved on to something that was actually built for the life they were living.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re on Medicare, the situation is even more straightforward \u2013 and not in a good way. Medicare does not cover medical care outside of the United States, with very limited exceptions. <\/p>\n You can keep your Medicare coverage while living abroad, but it won\u2019t pay for care you receive in another country. If you\u2019re approaching 65 and planning a move, it\u2019s still worth enrolling in Medicare Part A since most people qualify for it premium-free, but you\u2019ll need separate international coverage for any actual healthcare you receive abroad.<\/p>\n This is one of the most common questions that comes up in expat communities, and the answer is pretty consistent: Medicare only covers you in the United States.<\/p>\n Expat health insurance is coverage designed specifically for people who are living outside their home country for an extended period \u2013 not just visiting, but actually relocating. Unlike standard travel insurance, which is built around short trips and emergencies, expat health insurance is designed to function more like the coverage you\u2019d have at home: routine care, ongoing prescriptions, preventive visits, and long-term health management.<\/p>\n The key difference is that it travels with you. Whether you\u2019re based in one country or moving between several, a good expat plan keeps you covered without being tied to a domestic network that doesn\u2019t exist where you\u2019re living.<\/p>\n This is where a lot of people get confused, myself included.<\/p>\n Travel insurance is designed for trips. It covers emergencies, unexpected illness, trip cancellations, lost luggage \u2013 the kinds of things that go wrong on a vacation. It\u2019s not built for someone who is living abroad full time, and most travel insurance plans have time limits that make them impractical for long-term relocation.<\/p>\n International health insurance (or expat health insurance) is built for people who have actually made the move. It covers routine care, ongoing health conditions that develop after your policy starts, and preventative visits. It functions more like a regular health insurance plan.<\/p>\n The reason this distinction matters is that the right answer for you depends entirely on where you are in the process. If you\u2019re still in the planning stage and traveling back and forth, travel medical insurance makes sense. Once you\u2019ve committed to a permanent or semi-permanent move, you\u2019ll want to look at proper international health coverage.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been familiar with SafetyWing for years \u2013 it gets mentioned constantly in nomad and expat circles, and I\u2019ve used it myself for shorter international trips.<\/p>\n When we started seriously looking at options for a longer-term move, I went back and looked at what they offer. They have two plans: Nomad Insurance Essential<\/strong> and Nomad Insurance Complete<\/strong>. Depending on where you are in your move abroad journey, one is going to make more sense than the other.<\/p>\n Nomad Insurance Essential<\/a> is travel medical insurance for people living or traveling outside their home country. You can buy it for as little as 5 days or run it as an ongoing subscription up to 364 days. It covers emergency medical treatment, unexpected illness, and travel mishaps \u2013 and there\u2019s no deductible.<\/p>\n For families traveling with children: you can add a child under ten years of age per adult for free (up to two children).<\/p>\n As a US citizen, you can purchase it as long as you\u2019re living or traveling outside the US. For us right now, in the planning and transition phase, this is the right fit. It\u2019s flexible enough to cover the in-between period without locking us into a full annual commitment before we\u2019ve actually made the move.<\/p>\n Nomad Insurance Complete<\/a> is a different category. It\u2019s not travel insurance \u2013 it\u2019s closer to actual health insurance for people who have relocated. On top of emergency coverage, it adds routine care, annual check-ups, vaccinations, and treatment for conditions that develop after your policy starts. It also covers you in your home country without time restrictions, which matters once you\u2019re living abroad full time and traveling back to visit family.<\/p>\n One important thing to know: the Complete plan is not available to US residents. Once you\u2019ve established your primary residence abroad and are living outside the US for more than six months of the year, you become eligible.<\/p>\n This is usually what surprises people the most, because it\u2019s significantly more affordable than what most of us are used to paying in the US.<\/p>\n For SafetyWing\u2019s Nomad Insurance Essential<\/a>, pricing starts at $62.72 per four weeks for travelers aged 10\u201339. For travelers aged 60\u201369, you can expect to pay upwards of $218 per month \u2013 which is still competitive compared to most alternatives. The Nomad Insurance Complete<\/a> plan starts at around $177.50 per month, with the cost varying based on age and any add-ons you choose such as dental coverage or electronics theft protection.<\/p>\n To put that in context: the average marketplace health insurance premium in the US runs several hundred dollars a month before you factor in deductibles and copays. The idea that you could have solid international coverage for $60\u2013$177 a month takes some getting used to, but that\u2019s consistently what people who\u2019ve made the move report paying \u2013 and it is often one of the reasons Americans actually decide to move abroad.<\/p>\n Pricing varies based on your age and the length of your coverage, so SafetyWing has a quote tool on their site that lets you see exact numbers for your situation before committing to anything.<\/p>\n After all the research, the conversations with professionals, and talking to people who\u2019ve been through it \u2013 here\u2019s my advice:<\/p>\n If you\u2019re in the planning stage, still figuring out the logistics of a move, or just spending a lot of time internationally without a fixed base yet, start with the Essential plan. It\u2019s flexible, affordable, and you can adjust as your situation evolves.<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve already relocated or are about to make a permanent move and you\u2019re not a US citizen or resident, look at the Complete plan. The difference between travel medical coverage and actual health insurance matters a lot once you\u2019re living somewhere full time.<\/p>\n Either way, sort this out before you go. It may feel like something you can figure out later, but it\u2019s absolutely something that should be factored into any budget plans for your eventual move abroad.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll be documenting our entire move abroad process, starting with my partner\u2019s Mexican citizenship journey. If you want to follow along, subscribe here<\/a> so you don\u2019t miss any of it.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
What Happens to Your Health Insurance When You Leave the US?<\/h2>\n
Does US Health Insurance Cover You Abroad?<\/h3>\n
![\"Does](\"https:\/\/ordinarytraveler.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/does-us-health-insurance-cover-you-abroad.jpg\" "\\"What")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nWhat Happens to Medicare When You Move Abroad?<\/h3>\n
![\"What](\"https:\/\/ordinarytraveler.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/what-happens-to-medicare-when-you-move-abroad.jpg\" "\\"What")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nWhat We\u2019ve Decided to Do for Our Health Insurance Abroad<\/h2>\n
What is Expat Health Insurance?<\/h3>\n
![\"What](\"https:\/\/ordinarytraveler.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/what-is-expat-health-insurance.jpg\" "\\"What")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nTravel Insurance vs. International Health Insurance: What\u2019s the Difference?<\/h3>\n
![\"Travel](\"https:\/\/ordinarytraveler.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/travel-insurance-vs-international-health-insurance.jpg\" "\\"What")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nWhy We\u2019re Using SafetyWing<\/h3>\n
How Much Does Health Insurance Abroad Cost?<\/h2>\n
\n<\/center><\/p>\nWhat I\u2019d Suggest Based on Where You Are<\/h2>\n