VACATION MODE ACTIVATED! Will Medicare Provide Coverage While Traveling? As the weather gets warmer and the days get longer, more and more people will pack up their cars and hit the road as they venture to vacation destinations. Summertime is the most popular season for many to travel to different states and even abroad. But as you pack your bags and go through your vacation checklist, be sure you know your Medicare plan and coverage. When some people think of Medicare, they may believe that it only covers them when traveling within their home state. But Medicare can protect you throughout the U.S. and, on some occasions, internationally. Here’s what you need to know about traveling with Medicare. TRAVELING IN THE U.S. If you have Original Medicare or Supplement Insurance (Medicare Part A and Part B), you have coverage in all 50 states, the District of Columbia (Washington D.C.), Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands. No matter what state or U.S. territory you travel to, you can visit any doctor and use your Medicare benefits and coverage. For those with Medicare Advantage Plans , your plan may not cover care outside your service area. Some plans will cover providers seeking care in another state, but they will face higher copayments. However, if you need urgent care or are in an emergency, Medicare Advantage Plans are required to cover these needs anywhere in the U.S. with no additional costs. TRAVELING OUTSIDE THE U.S. Unfortunately, Medicare usually doesn’t provide coverage when traveling internationally. However, there are certain circumstances in which Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage Plans must cover you.
If your friends and neighbors aren’t talking about pickleball, they will be soon. In 2021, news outlets reported an explosion in the sport, with NPR estimating 4.8 million players. By 2022, that number had ballooned to 36.5 million players — an astonishing 14% of Americans. Even star athletes like Lebron James and Tom Brady are playing. For the uninitiated, pickleball is often described as a combination of tennis, badminton, and pingpong. Three fathers invented the game in 1965 to entertain their bored children on vacation. They rounded up the limited equipment they had on hand, including a wiffle ball, pingpong paddles, and a badminton net they lowered to tennis height. As the game developed, they realized the ball bounced nicely on asphalt — even though legend says a family dog named Pickles kept running off with it. Like in tennis, pickleball involves hitting a ball back and forth over a net. Usually played by four people in teams of two, a player can hit the ball back over the net from in the air (a volley) or after it bounces on the ground (a groundstroke). But the creators instituted a 7-foot no-volley zone, or “kitchen,” next to the net. The extra space deters spiking and minimizes running. Those are the basics. Learn a few rules about serving, scoring, and when different hits are allowed, and you’re ready to play. But that still leaves a question: What’s the big deal? The ease of learning the sport is one of pickleball’s greatest appeals, but the reasons people love playing it go far beyond that. One of pickleball’s key advantages is that it rewards skill — not size, age, strength, or fitness. Thanks to the kitchen, young and old alike can fairly square off. Professional athletes can enjoy the sport, but so can children and seniors. Best of all, they can play together on mostly even footing. With its low-impact nature, pickleball first found favor among adults 65 and older. But as its popularity grew, the sport began attracting younger and younger players. USA Pickleball reported in 2021 that most growth was in players under 55. Pickleball courts are in high demand, and they’re popping up everywhere. So, if you want to try the game, you shouldn’t have to travel too far. Enthusiasts predict the sport has a future in the Olympics — not too bad for a game that began with a family trip and a rowdy dog. WHY PEOPLE CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF PICKLEBALL America’s Fastest-Growing Sport
In an emergency situation:
• If you’re traveling through Canada and on a direct route between Alaska and another state and the closest hospital is in Canada, Medicare will cover your care. • If you’re in a U.S. territory but a foreign hospital is closer to you than a U.S. hospital, your care will be covered by Medicare.
If you’re planning a vacation soon, please reach out to The Medicare Authority if you have any questions. We will gladly ease your concern and ensure everything is in order for your trip.
Safe travels, everyone!
2 THEMEDICAREAUTHORITY.COM
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