No, your health insurance may not cover you when traveling to another country. As a result, you may need medical travel insurance when traveling abroad for vacation or work.

From the U.S. Department of State website:  "The Department of State strongly urges Americans to consult with their medical insurance company prior to traveling abroad to confirm whether their policy applies overseas and if it will cover emergency expenses such as a medical evacuation.  If necessary, Americans should consider secondary medical coverage for the trip."

They go on to list several reasons why you should you should be concerned about medical coverage abroad, including:

• The Social Security Medicare Program does not provide coverage for hospital or medical costs outside the United States of America.
• Many health insurance plans do not provide coverage overseas.  Those that provide "customary and reasonable" hospital costs abroad may not pay for your medical evacuation back to the United States which can easily cost $10,000.00 and up depending on your location and medical condition.
• Many foreign doctors and hospitals require payment in cash prior to providing service.
• Uninsured patients may be refused service.
• Countries with socialized medicine may not provide full services to non-residents.

But fortunately, medical travel insurance is inexpensive, making it an easy option.