I’ve been on Social Security Disability Insurance since I was 58, and I get my health insurance through Medicare. I’m about to turn 65. What will happen to my Medicare?

You’ll have some choices to make. When you turn 65, your Medicare coverage changes from disability-based to age-based. This will allow you to start the clock anew for enrolling in Medicare. If you like your current arrangement—be it original Medicare or an Advantage plan—you can keep it and don’t have to do anything. But if you want to change the type of Medicare you have, you can. Your window to make that change will be during a new seven-month initial enrollment period that starts three months before the month you turn 65 and ends three months after that month. Also, if you weren’t signed up for a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan under your disability coverage, you can enroll in a Part D plan during this period without facing a late enrollment penalty.

If I need emergency medical care when I’m on vacation outside the United States, will Medicare cover it?

Most of the time, the answer will be no. A few people have written to us saying they were told they could submit their receipts when they got home and Medicare would pay. That’s only true in a few limited circumstances:

→ You’re in the United States when you have an emergency, and the closest hospital is in another country—likely Canada or Mexico.

→ You’re traveling through Canada on your way back to the United States via the most direct route between Alaska and the lower 48 states. You have a medical emergency, and the Canadian hospital is closer than the nearest U.S. hospital that can treat you.

→ You live in the U.S. and the foreign hospital is closer to your home than the nearest U.S. hospital. This holds true whether your medical need is an emergency or not.

There are a few Medicare supplemental policies that do cover care abroad; review the specifics of your policy before traveling. Also note there are short-term insurance plans available for international travelers.