Summer Travel GUIDE

Traveling in the Summer with Your Plan

Smart planning for HMO and PPO members, urgent care decisions, international coverage, and getting medications on the road

Whether you are taking a road trip across the Pacific Northwest or flying out of state, your Medicare coverage changes when you leave your home area. Understanding your plan’s boundaries before you pack your bags will save you stress — and unexpected bills.

1. Know Your Plan Type: HMO vs. PPO

How your plan handles travel depends heavily on its network structure:

• HMO Plans (Health Maintenance Organizations): Generally restrict you to local network providers. If you travel out of state, only emergency care is covered. Routine care or standard doctor visits will not be paid by the plan.
• PPO Plans (Preferred Provider Organizations): Offer more flexibility. You can see out-of-network providers anywhere in the country, but your out-of-pocket copays will usually be higher. Always check if your destination has providers that accept your carrier.

2. Urgent Care vs. Emergency Room Away from Home

If you experience a minor injury, bug bite, or minor illness while traveling, avoid the Emergency Room if it isn’t life-threatening. ER visits cost significantly more and have longer wait times.

Instead, use your carrier’s app to locate an in-network Urgent Care center near your travel destination.

3. Traveling Internationally

Most domestic Medicare plans and supplements provide little to no coverage outside the United States. If you are traveling abroad, there are two important steps to take before you leave:

• Call your broker’s office to review whether your plan includes a foreign travel emergency rider.
• If not, ask about securing a temporary, low-cost international travel insurance policy for your trip.

4. Getting Medication Refills or Replacements While Traveling

If your maintenance medications are lost, stolen, or damaged by extreme heat while you are away from home, your Medicare Part D drug coverage can help. Here is what to do:

• Step 1: Locate a national pharmacy chain (such as Walgreens, CVS, or Costco) that is in your plan’s preferred network. They can look up your profile and pull your prescriptions electronically.
• Step 2: If you are not yet due for a refill, have the pharmacist contact your insurance carrier to request an “emergency travel override.” This allows the plan to cover an early refill so you aren’t stuck paying full price out-of-pocket.
• Step 3: If you cannot reach your regular doctor to send a new prescription to your travel destination, use your plan’s Telehealth benefit. A virtual doctor can write a temporary replacement prescription directly to the local pharmacy.

Travel Coverage Checklist

• Know your plan type (HMO or PPO) and what is covered out of area
• Save your carrier’s app or customer service number before you leave
• Find in-network urgent care locations at your destination in advance
• Check your Telehealth benefit — often $0 and available anywhere
• Call your broker before any international trip to review coverage gaps
• Bring enough medication for your full trip plus a few extra days
• Know how to request an emergency travel override if a refill is needed early