Getting care in a disaster or emergency
What do you need help with?
If you have Medicare drug coverage, and live in an area that's been declared an emergency or disaster, contact your plan for help:
- Finding another in-network pharmacy nearby. An in-network pharmacy is a pharmacy that agrees to provide members of certain Medicare plans with services and supplies at a discounted price. In some Medicare plans, your prescriptions are only covered if you get them filled at in-network pharmacies.
- Replacing lost or damaged drugs or replacing a drug you couldn’t take with you when you evacuated.
- Getting drugs at an out-of-network pharmacy when you can’t reasonably get to an in-network pharmacy.
Using in-network pharmacies
- You’ll be able to move most prescriptions from one in-network pharmacy to another, and back to your regular pharmacy when the emergency or disaster ends. If you need help finding the closest in-network pharmacy, contact your Medicare plan.
- You’ll need to tell the new pharmacy the name of your regular pharmacy and the drugs you need refilled.
Using out-of-network pharmacies
- Contact your plan for information about their out-of-network rules.
- When you buy your drugs at an out-of-network pharmacy, you’ll probably have to pay full cost for the drugs at the time you fill your prescriptions.
Additional (extended-day) supplies
If you think you won’t return home for a long time, you may want to get a 60- to 90-day supply of your prescription drugs. Ask your plan if it offers 60- to 90-day supplies and which pharmacies you can use to get them.
If you have Original Medicare, your End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Network can help you:
- Get your dialysis treatments.
- Find out who to contact for your supplies, drugs, transportation to dialysis services, and emergency financial help (if you need it).