Travel insurance for Mexico: what US health coverage actually follows you

Most US health plans, and Medicare in particular, stop covering you at the border. Here is what a travel policy for Mexico should include and what it typically costs.

Mexico is the single most-visited international destination for US travelers, and also one of the most common places Americans discover, mid-trip, that their domestic health plan does not travel with them. Medicare covers almost nothing outside the US and its territories except in narrow border-crossing exceptions; most employer and marketplace plans either exclude foreign care entirely or cover it at a much lower rate with no network.

What to check before you assume you are covered

Call your insurer and ask specifically about "out-of-country emergency coverage" for Mexico, not just "international coverage" in general — some plans draw a hard line at Mexico and Canada because of high claim volume. Even when a domestic plan does pay something, it is reimbursement after the fact: you typically pay the Mexican hospital directly, in cash or by card, and file a claim once home.

What a travel policy should include

Look for medical coverage of at least $50,000–$100,000, since private hospitals in tourist areas like Cancún, Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta bill at rates close to US private care. Emergency medical evacuation coverage of $100,000 or more matters more in Mexico than in many destinations, since serious injuries (car accidents, water sports, altitude issues near Mexico City) sometimes require transport to a US facility. If you plan to scuba dive, ride a scooter, or go off-road, check that the policy does not exclude those activities — many standard policies do by default and need an add-on.

Typical cost

A one- to two-week policy with solid medical and evacuation limits for a healthy adult typically runs $25–$60, depending on age and limits — cheap relative to even one night in a private Mexican hospital without it.