Our Goal: To ensure U.S. citizens have  access abroad to their earned Medicare benefits. 

Citizens who worked in the US, or for US companies, paid into the Medicare system throughout their careers.  Once they begin receiving the Social Security they earned throughout their work lives, their benefit is automatically reduced for the cost of their Medicare.  But US Citizens residing outside the country are unable to use the Medicare they paid for, and continue to pay for, without often-costly travel back to the United States.  Many choose that option.  Others never receive the benefits for which they paid.  This has implications for fairness and cost to the Medicare system.

While different countries of residence present different situations for seniors, the cost of health care in nearly every one is significantly less than in the US, a potential savings that we believe will help the Medicare Trust Fund’s viability over time.

What you can do

• Contact your Congressional Representatives to ensure they are aware of this inequity and how critical it is to providing fairness and producing potentially significant savings for the Medicare Trust Fund.  Remind them that Democrats voting from abroad provided the margin of victory in multiple races in 2020 and 2018.  
• Educate other seniors and individuals approaching Medicare age about this issue and ask them to join DA and complete a survey, and become part of the drive to change this unfair and unequal treatment of seniors who retire abroad.

Join DA’s Medicare Portability Task Force.  Send an email to [email protected]