International health insurance for over 70s: age limits and what to ask

Do I need international health insurance if I retire overseas?

If you live overseas, you need cover of some kind. Smartraveller says Medicare doesn’t pay for medical treatment overseas, and neither do Australian private health funds. Services Australia says the 11 reciprocal agreement countries give visitors medically necessary public care only, and none of them are in Asia.

Citizens can still use Medicare for treatment in Australia on visits home, for up to 5 years after they move (Medicare overseas has the detail). It never covers you while you’re away.

Smartraveller also warns that Australian insurers might not cover you if you live overseas long term, and that your visa conditions may require a local health insurance policy. International health insurance (also called expat health insurance) is built for people who live outside their home country.

How is it different from travel insurance?

Travel insurance covers a trip with a return date. International health insurance is for when you actually live there. What’s below is typical, but every policy is different, so read the policy documents.

	Travel insurance for a single long trip	Annual multi-trip travel insurance	International health insurance
Built for	One trip with a return date	Several trips in a year	Living overseas
How long	The trip	A year, with a cap on each trip	Usually a year at a time, renewed
What it is mainly for	Emergencies, evacuation, cancellations, lost bags	The same, across several trips	Ongoing medical care, hospital and often outpatient care
If you live overseas	May not cover you	May not cover you	Designed for it
Pre-existing conditions	Must be declared	Must be declared	Must be declared; may be covered, excluded or covered after a waiting period

Our guide to travel insurance for long stays covers the first two types in more detail.

Is there an age limit for international health insurance?

It depends on the policy. Smartraveller says your age and health change both what you pay and which type of policy you need. Ask whether a policy has a maximum age for new members, and whether existing members are treated differently. We couldn’t find an independent source on joining ages for international health insurance, so we haven’t given figures.

Get the answer for your age, health and destination in writing. The broker questions further down are a place to start.

The date you apply can matter more than the date you move. If a policy has a maximum joining age, being accepted before that birthday may decide whether you can keep cover later. Ask before you sign a visa application or a lease.

How much does expat health insurance cost at 70?

We haven’t found a reliable independent figure for international health insurance, so we don’t quote one. Your price depends on your age and health, where you live, and the cover and excess you pick.

For comparison, CHOICE’s analysis of 230,000 travel insurance quotes in March 2026 found travellers in their 70s paid more than three times the price of those in their 30s and 40s, and travellers over 80 more than five times. That is travel insurance, not international health insurance, but it shows how steeply age can push up a premium.

What about pre-existing conditions?

Smartraveller says you must tell your insurer about all pre-existing conditions, and that leaving anything out upfront may void the policy. With pre-existing conditions you may not be able to get insurance at all, it says, or you may need a specialised insurer. Our page on retiring overseas with a health condition goes further.

Why does the timing matter?

An example, not real people. Pat is 63, single, and plans to retire to Chiang Mai at 66, on a retirement visa that asks for health insurance. Our guide to the Thailand retirement visa covers the visa side.

Pat’s age	What Pat asks
63, three years out	Is there a maximum age for new members, for someone living in Thailand?
65, a year before moving	If I join now, can I keep the policy when I move? Does it meet the visa rules?
66, on arrival	What is excluded because of my health, and what is the excess?
76 and later	Can the policy be renewed at my age, and how has the premium changed?

Which cover Pat ends up with is between Pat and a broker. Pat starts asking three years before the move, while there’s still time for the answers to change the plan.

Questions to ask a broker

Ask a licensed insurance broker (one who holds an Australian financial services licence) these questions, and ask for the answers in writing:

1. What is the age limit for new members, for my age and my destination country?
2. Once I am a member, can the policy be renewed for life, or can it be ended at a certain age?
3. Can the premium rise because of my age or my claims, and by how much has it risen in recent years?
4. How are my pre-existing conditions treated: covered, excluded, or covered after a waiting period?
5. Does it cover evacuation to a bigger hospital, or to Australia?
6. Does it cover treatment in Australia when I visit?
7. Does it meet the health insurance rules for my visa?
8. What is the excess, and are there limits on outpatient care or medicines?
9. Are you paid a commission or fee by the insurer, and how much?

What this means for you depends on

• Your age when you apply, not just when you move.
• Your health and any pre-existing conditions.
• The country you live in, because rules and prices can differ by country.
• What your visa requires.
• Whether you will spend time in Australia each year.
• Your budget for premiums. Our guide to living overseas on the Age Pension shows what is left for cover in six places.

This is general information, not advice about which insurance to buy. A licensed insurance broker can talk you through your own cover. For everything around it, book a free planning session on Zoom and we’ll point you the right way.