Can I cancel or drop Medicare Part B if I move abroad?

Question

Ann Sanfelippo · Accepted Answer

Yes, you can drop Medicare Part B if you move abroad, since Medicare generally doesn’t cover care outside the U.S. To do this, you must contact the Social Security Administration and submit a request to disenroll.

Keep in mind, if you later return to the U.S. and want Part B again, you may face a late enrollment penalty and have to wait for an appropriate Enrollment Period.

Before dropping Part B, make sure you’ll have adequate health coverage in the country you’re moving to.

Lee Hampton · Answer

Yes, you can drop Part B if you move outside the U.S., since Medicare typically doesn’t cover care overseas and you may not want to pay for coverage you won’t use.

Just keep in mind—if you return to the U.S. later, you may have to wait to re-enroll during the general enrollment period (Jan 1-March 31st) and could face a lifetime late enrollment penalty.

It’s a good idea to think about how long you’ll be abroad, what coverage you will have, and your plans to return before making a decision.

Curtis McCall · Answer

Yes — if you move outside the United States, you can voluntarily drop Medicare Part B. 

Since Medicare generally does not cover healthcare received in foreign countries, many people figure, why keep paying that monthly premium for coverage I can't use?

That logic makes sense on the surface. But here's what most people don't know.

But there is a penalty nobody warns you about. 

If you drop Part B and later move back to the United States — and you will need to re-enroll — Medicare will charge you a permanent late enrollment penalty of 10% for every 12 months you went without Part B coverage.

Justin Scheiner · Answer

Yes, you can usually cancel Medicare Part B if you move abroad, and you would do that through Social Security. Just keep in mind that Medicare generally provides very limited coverage outside the U.S., and if you drop Part B and want it again later, you may face a late-enrollment penalty or have to wait for a future enrollment period.

Answered by Justin Scheiner on April 20, 2026

Agent Licensed in FL, CO, CT & 5 other states

Answered by Justin Scheiner Medicare Insurance Agent

Steven Litzsinger · Answer

Steve here, your local trusted advisor. The question is, can you elect to drop or cancel Medicare Part B if you move abroad?

Actually, you can. However, I will say that you want to be cautious in the event that you decide to return to the United States and you have canceled or discontinued your Part B enrollment. You will have the risk of penalties when you re-enroll for any gap in coverage. The other component of that is there are specific windows of when you can enroll in Part B.

So we always encourage clients to really think through, is the decision permanent? Is there any chance that they're coming back? If there's a possibility, we highly recommend maintaining it. You've earned that benefit, we definitely encourage you to maintain it. But if you know that you're going and not coming back, you can certainly cancel or drop your Medicare Part B. It's certainly an option.

Thanks, I hope that answers your question.

Cody Biggs · Answer

Yes, you can drop Medicare Part B if you move abroad, since it generally doesn’t cover care outside the U.S. Just be careful—if you come back later and want Part B again, you may have to wait for the General Enrollment Period and could face a lifetime late enrollment penalty.

Answered by Cody Biggs on April 15, 2026

Broker Licensed in LA, AL, AZ & 24 other states

Answered by Cody Biggs Medicare Insurance Agent

Christopher Akers · Answer

You can drop Part B, as Medicare typically does not cover overseas. 
Keep in mind if you do not have creditable coverage (say an employer plan) you will be penalized for each month without Part B.
You will pay a penalty for each month that you do not have coverage, after you enroll back into Part B, for the lifetime of the enrollment into Part B.  You also have a specific enrollment period of time that you can enroll into Part B when you return.

Andrew Zurbuch, MBA · Answer

Yes, from my knowledge you can disenroll from Original Medicare Part B. Please call 1800Medicare & speak with an Agent. Discuss with Medicare if you can reenroll at a later year. You might not want to disenroll. Thank you.

Answered by Andrew Zurbuch, MBA on April 15, 2026

Broker Licensed in IN, FL, KY, MO, OH & TN

Answered by Andrew Zurbuch, MBA Medicare Insurance Agent

Frankie Cochran · Answer

Most medicare plans are only valid in the US so if I were moving abroad i would but just be aware you are penalized for every month you don't have medicare part b coverage and that penalty never goes away

Answered by Frankie Cochran on April 14, 2026

Agent Licensed in GA

Answered by Frankie Cochran Medicare Insurance Agent

Can I cancel or drop Medicare Part B if I move abroad?

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Can I cancel or drop Medicare Part B if I move abroad?

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