Aging abroad

Seeking health care outside the U.S.

The notion that health care outside the U.S. could be good as well as cheap is a foreign one to many Americans.

Kathleen Peddicord frequently hears from skeptics as founder of Live and Invest Overseas, a site about living abroad. Actual expats like her, however, tell of good-quality care at a fraction of the U.S. price. Treatment for a motorbike accident in Panama cost her $20. Emergency dental surgery that might cost $10,000 or more in the U.S. was $4,500 in Paris.

“The health care in a lot of places around the world is very good, as good as in the United States,” says Peddicord, who currently divides her time between Paris and Panama. “Some places, it is better.”

1 More expats About 9 million Americans who aren't in the military live outside the U.S., according to State Department estimates, up from an estimate of 3 to 6 million 20 years ago. The number could rise as millions more Americans barrel toward retirement without enough income to maintain their standard of living at home.

Health care usually isn't the main reason people move abroad, says expat and Mexico resident Don Murray, who writes for rival site International Living. But reduced medical expenses are part of the lower living costs that prompt many Americans to relocate.

2 Quality varies Not all expat havens have great health care systems.

Belize, for example, encourages immigration by exempting retirees from most income taxes — but many expats there cross the border to Mexico for health care, Peddicord says.

France, on the other hand, is known for its excellent health care system. Other countries praised by the two sites include Mexico, Ecuador, Malaysia, Thailand and Costa Rica. Portugal, Italy and Malta also make the list.

3 Options for access Expats may be able to qualify for a country’s public health care system if they become residents. Otherwise, there’s typically a private system in which people can pay out of pocket and get reimbursed if they have private health insurance. Peddicord and her husband have an international health insurance policy that costs $3,000 a year, which covers them whether they’re traveling or at home. Murray says he and his wife pay about $80 each month for Mexico’s public health system, but use private doctors and pay out of pocket for most care.

“My personal budget no longer contains a line for health care expenses,” Murray says. “They are so inconsequential there is no need.”

This article was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet.