Medicare will only pay for medically necessary shipboard services if the services were provided while the ship was within United States waters.

This means that the ship was in a United States port, or within 6 hours of departure or arrival at a United States port.

If you had medical services aboard a ship and the doctor's office is in the United States, the doctor will submit the claim to Medicare.

If the doctor's office is not in the United States, you will need to mail a CMS-14-90S form to Medicare.

You can call 1-800-MEDICARE to request the form.

Send the completed claim form, your itemized bill, and any supporting documents to the Medicare contractor at the appropriate port and explain in detail your reason for submitting the claim.

You should mail the original claim form to Medicare and make copies for your records.

Please allow at least 60 days for Medicare to receive and process your request.

Be aware that some Medicare Advantage plans or other Medicare Health Plans cover shipboard services.

You may be able to purchase travel insurance with limited medical coverage through your travel agent or at ehealthinsurance.com.

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