Health insurance for retirees abroad

1. Join the public system of your new country. In many countries legal residents can join, sometimes free (as residents), more often with a contribution based on your income or a fixed fee. Waiting lists and the language are the usual drawbacks.
2. Keep cover from your home country. Inside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, a pensioner whose pension comes from another member country (and the UK, for UK State Pension holders) can be covered in the new country at the home country's expense with the S1 form (section 4). Outside Europe, home systems rarely follow you: US Medicare does not pay abroad, and Canadian provincial plans stop when you no longer live in the province.
3. Buy private insurance: a local policy from an insurer of the country, or an international policy that covers you in several countries (often including visits home). Many retirees combine it with the public system.

Each line summarises the healthcare section of the country page, where every fact has its source. Insurance prices are orders of magnitude from insurers and expat guides: get quotes for your age and health.

Many retirement visas ask for health insurance valid in the country when you apply, sometimes with a minimum: Portugal (D7), Spain (non-lucrative visa: cover equivalent to the public system), France (visitor), Greece, Malta, Cyprus, Croatia, Ireland (full private cover, as Stamp 0 holders cannot use public services), Ecuador, Colombia and Thailand (O-A: at least US$100,000 or 3 million baht, renewed with each extension). See each country's visa section, or check your case with the visa checker.

• EU, EEA and Swiss pensioners moving inside Europe: the country that pays your pension is responsible for your healthcare. Ask its health insurance body for an S1 form and register it in your new country: you then have full access on the same terms as its nationals. If you also receive a pension from the country where you live, that country covers you instead ¹.
• UK State Pension holders moving to an EU country, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein may get healthcare paid by the UK with an S1; you must already receive the State Pension. Outside those countries the UK does not pay for state healthcare ².
• Americans: Medicare usually does not pay for care abroad; see our guide for Americans on whether to keep Part B ³.
• Canadians: provincial health plans require you to live in the province; moving abroad ends your cover. Check your province's rules on absences before you leave (for example Ontario's OHIP page) ⁴.
• Other countries: ask your health insurer before you leave: some keep covering care during visits home, most stop when you deregister.

• Buy before you move, and early. Premiums rise steeply with age, and many insurers stop accepting new customers between 60 and 75; in Thailand, local insurers often stop between 60 and 70. A policy taken earlier is usually renewable later.
• Renewal for life. Check whether the insurer guarantees renewal regardless of age and claims; a policy that stops at 75 or 80 leaves you uninsurable when you need it most.
• Pre-existing conditions. Most private policies exclude them or add waiting periods (often 12 to 24 months). Declare everything: an undeclared condition can void the policy. A public system that accepts you regardless of health (France, Portugal, Spain's convenio especial) can be worth more than a cheaper private policy.
• Local or international. Local policies are cheaper but cover only that country; international policies cost more but cover several countries, sometimes visits home (check whether the US is included: it often costs extra).
• Evacuation. In countries where complex care is limited (parts of Latin America and Asia, islands), medical evacuation to a regional hospital hub can cost tens of thousands of dollars: check it is included.
• Deductibles and co-payments. A higher deductible lowers the premium; make sure you could pay it.
• Direct billing. Ask which hospitals bill the insurer directly; otherwise you pay first and claim back.
• What the visa requires. The policy must meet the visa's minimum (amount, inpatient and outpatient care) and come with a certificate in the right format.

1. Find out whether you can join the public system as a resident, and what it costs (table above).
2. If you receive a pension from an EU/EEA country, Switzerland or the UK and move inside Europe, ask for the S1 before you leave.
3. Get quotes from at least two private insurers for your age, with your full medical history declared.
4. Check renewal age limits, pre-existing conditions, evacuation and direct billing.
5. Make sure the policy meets your visa's requirements and starts on the day you arrive.
6. Keep cover during the gap between arriving and joining the public system (often weeks or months).
7. Bring your medical records and prescriptions, translated if needed, and register with a local doctor early.