Health care facilities in the FSM consist of hospitals on each of the four major islands and a few scattered clinics. These facilities sometimes lack basic supplies and medicines, and the quality of health care is variable. Doctors and hospitals may expect immediate cash payment for health services. U.S. medical insurance is not always valid outside the United States. Supplemental medical insurance with specific coverage for overseas treatment and medical evacuation may prove useful.
Medical evacuation can be very expensive for non-ambulatory patients.
The overall crime rate in the FSM is low, but there have been incidents where foreigners have been subject to, and possibly singled out for, verbal and physical abuse. The loss or theft abroad of a U.S. passport should be reported immediately to the local police, and to the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. While in a foreign country, a U.S. citizen is subject to that country's laws and regulations, which sometimes differ significantly from those in the United States and do not afford the protections available to the individual under U.S. law. Penalties for breaking the law can be more severe than in the United States for similar offenses. Persons violating the law, even unknowingly, may be expelled, arrested or imprisoned.