Only covers emergent care at the locality. With most policies, if you want to go back to the States, it's on your nickle.
My mom had the choice to airlift my dad to Houston. $10,000 out of pocket.
Abroad , if you dont have extra insurance may be costly anyway...we`ll see what Obama care will do...but when I came from Sweden to the US I had to have a surgery after being here 3 months (I was still under Swedish health care)...called ins co in Sweden "we cover everything", found out later that that wasnt the case... I received $15 = $5/day I was hospitalized , since I wasnt working in Sweden...they regarded me as "student or housewife" ....and since doctor was "free" in Sweden I did not get reimbursed for him ,and since hospital was "free" in Sweden ,no reimbursement for it ...