What we've learned about travel health insurance after 65

When I first started traveling long-term after retirement, I thought experience made me a smarter traveler. Then I tried to buy travel insurance. Aging changes everything about travel coverage — what you qualify for, what it costs, and most importantly, what will actually be paid if something goes wrong. After a few years of trial, research, and many cups of coffee with policy documents, here’s what my huband has learned.

First lesson: Buying insurance is easy. Getting a claim paid is the real test.
Every insurance company makes the purchase process smooth. The real question is: How do they handle claims?
One of the most useful tools I’ve found is Trustpilot → https://www.trustpilot.com
When you read reviews there, you must filter for comments from travelers who actually filed a claim. That’s where the truth lies. Look for patterns:
* Were claims denied for technicalities?
* Was reimbursement slow?
* Did the company require excessive documentation?
A cheap policy that’s easy to buy can be very, very expensive when you actually need it.

Medicare abroad: Helpful, but possibly not enough
Many American travelers assume Medicare will protect them overseas. Unfortunately, Original Medicare (Parts A & B) generally does not cover care outside the United States, except in rare circumstances.
Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) – Medicare Coverage Outside the U.S. https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/travel
However, if you have a Medigap Plan G, you do get limited foreign emergency coverage:
* Coverage applies only during the first 60 days of a trip
* $250 deductible
* Then 80% of approved emergency care
* Lifetime maximum: $50,000
But once that lifetime limit is used, you’re on your own. For occasional short trips, this might be adequate. But for long-term or frequent trips, that $50,000 lifetime cap can disappear quickly.

What about medical evacuation?
Medical evacuation is often the biggest financial risk. Air ambulance transport from another continent to the US can exceed $100,000.
Some travelers pair their Medigap coverage with a medical transport subscription, such as Medjet → https://medjetassist.com
Unlike insurance, Medjet focuses on getting you transported to your home hospital once stabilized. It’s definitely not a replacement for medical insurance, but it can fill a huge financial gap in some policies.

How much coverage do seniors really need?
According to an analysis by Squaremouth, a major travel insurance comparison platform, recommended minimums are $100,000 Emergency Medical and $250,000 Medical Evacuation

The average cost for comprehensive senior coverage is $43/day. A medical-only policy (no trip cancellation) can cost about one-quarter of that.

Top-rated providers for seniors include:
    * IMG
    * Tin Leg
    * Seven Corners (personal experience: they paid a small $200 claim for us)
Source: Squaremouth Senior Travel Insurance Guide, https://www.squaremouth.com/resources/best-travel-insurance/seniors
Squaremouth recommends checking:
* Coverage for pre-existing conditions
* High medical limits
* Strong claim satisfaction
For long-term travelers like me, medical-only annual policies often make more sense than expensive trip-cancellation or combination plans.

An overview for older travelers
Nomadic Matt’s senior insurance FAQ is a practical, traveler-focused summary of what changes after 65:
https://medium.com/@nomadicmatt/travel-insurance-for-seniors-frequently-asked-questions-141bea337381

Questions about any policy (what to clarify before buying)
We have just completed a yearly plan with Seven Corners Annual Trip Protection. Here’s how these typically work — but you should always confirm directly with the company or a licensed agent, because benefits vary by specific plan version.

1) Is the dollar amount per trip or per year?
For Annual Trip Protection plans:
* Trip cancellation/interruption limits (for example, $5,000) are usually per trip
* Medical limits are typically per trip or per incident, not shared across the year
However, annual travel medical or travel policies (different products) often have:
* A maximum per certificate period (year)
* Sometimes also a per-incident limit
You should confirm: “Is the medical maximum per trip, per incident, or aggregate for the entire policy year?”
If the documents don’t clearly say, phone them. Insurance language matters.

2) Do you need to list all countries in advance?
For most annual policies, you do not need to list every country. For some, you select a coverage region.  Trips are covered automatically as long as each trip stays within the maximum trip length (another important parameter)

Always verify:
* Maximum trip duration (can be 30–90 days)
* Whether higher-risk countries are excluded

3) Does Annual Trip Protection include travel medical?
This is the most important distinction:
Usually:
* Annual Trip Protection = cancellation/interruption + limited medical
* Annual Travel Medical = separate plan with much higher medical limits
* These can be combined in a single policy.
Many travelers mistakenly assume trip protection equals strong medical coverage — often it doesn’t.
Ask directly:
“What is the Emergency Medical and Evacuation limit included in this plan, and is a separate annual travel medical policy recommended?”
If the included medical coverage is under $100,000, it may not meet the recommended minimum for seniors.

My personal strategy (after years of tinkering)
What works for me now:
* Medigap Plan G (base protection)
* Annual travel medical policy with high deductible and high limits
* Medical evacuation coverage (either included or via membership)
* No trip cancellation (unless I’ve prepaid a large amount). Some cancellations can be covered with some credit cards.

And before buying anything:
* I read claim reviews
* I check exclusions
* I call the insurer with my exact travel style
Because at our age, insurance isn’t about peace of mind — it can be about financial survival.

Final thoughts 
Travel after retirement is wonderful — slower mornings, longer stays, deeper experiences, but this freedom comes with a quiet responsibility: make sure your safety net actually holds.