Can I keep my US health insurance abroad?

Almost every American assumes the same thing before moving abroad: “I’ll just keep my US plan.”

You often can keep paying for it. Whether it actually works overseas is a different question.

Most US domestic plans are built around US networks, US billing and US rules. Step outside the country and routine care, planned treatment and direct billing are often limited or simply gone.

A few traps worth knowing:

• Medicare generally doesn’t cover you outside the US at all.
• “Covered abroad” often means emergencies only, reimbursed later, at out-of-network rates.
• A handful of states still run their own mandates, and your plan choice can affect HSA eligibility and tax.

So the real decision is how long you’ll be away and how often you’re back:

• Abroad long-term, rarely in the US → international (expat) health insurance is built for you.
• Back regularly → you can add US cover, but it raises the premium a lot. Sometimes a plan that excludes the US + travel cover for trips home is smarter.

Before you cancel anything, get four answers from your insurer in writing: does cover continue once I’m resident abroad? Routine care or just emergencies? Direct billing or reimbursement? Still valid if I’ve left state tax residency?

ABOUT EXPATINSURE

We’re an independent broker, regulated in the UK and US to arrange international health insurance. We compare the major global insurers — Cigna Global, Aetna International, AXA, Allianz Care and Bupa Global — side by side, and we’re one of only a handful of brokers anywhere with a comparison site that shows live prices instantly. Quotes take seconds, and cover can be arranged in under 24 hours where needed, subject to underwriting.