Health Coverage

From finiki

Most snowbirds acquire added insurance that augments their basic coverage at home. They can acquire them from a number of insurance companies or through credit cards that offer basic travel insurance. Most cover some basic number of days (30-33) for multiple trips, and then sell added coverage at a daily rate for extended trip that depends on your age and your state of health. There are certain exclusions, so if you are not healthy, you might not be able to get insurance.

Of course, medical coverage ceases for Canadians if they are absent from their home province for more than 6 months in any year. In that case, international health insurance is needed, and it is available from a number of carriers. These policies are really for medical disasters because they have high deductibles and copayments. So you are essentially paying for all your own routine costs. Coverage is available with low deductibles for younger retirees, but after age 60, the annual deductible is $5000 or $10000 and costs around $300/month (all USD). Such insurance usually terminates at age 75 unless the insured has been a client for ten years or more.

For retirees who move to the snowbird location permanently, there are added options. In Mexico, they have a national medicare program called IMSS, and here is an account of one retiree's experience with it.