Taking an extended trip abroad requires an enormous amount of planning. Although it may not be foremost in your mind, your health insurance coverage is an important part of this planning. Standard health insurance plans are generally not designed to cover extended periods of international travel. Most managed care plans do cover emergency treatment regardless of where it is administered, but other types of care are typically limited to a local network of providers. Health maintenance organizations (HMOs) may pay nothing if you seek routine care from a non-network provider, while preferred provider organizations (PPOs) generally cover only a portion of these costs.

Before you go abroad, find out what coverage you will have. You may need to purchase additional insurance to cover gaps in your plan.