Getting Medical Care & Prescription Drugs 

in a Disaster or Emergency Area

Revised February 2018

If you live in an area that’s been declared an emergency or disaster, look for news from 

the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) or the Department of Health 

and Human Services (HHS) about your situation, as the usual Medicare rules for your 

medical care may change for a short time. 

If one of these has happened, your area may be affected: 

• The President has declared it an emergency or disaster. Visit the Federal Emergency 

Management Agency at FEMA.gov, or call 1-800-621-FEMA (1-800-621-3362) to see 

if your area is affected. TTY users can call 1-800-462-7585. 

• A governor has declared it an emergency or disaster. Visit your state government’s 

official website to find out if your area is affected. 

• The Secretary of HHS has declared a public health emergency. Visit PHE.gov, or 

call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to find out if your area is affected. 

TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048. 

Seeing doctors or other providers 

If you have Original Medicare, you may always see any doctor who accepts Medicare. 

This is true even if you have to leave your city or state.

Some rules may change for an emergency or disaster area in certain instances—

for example, you may be able to get Medicare-covered services at an airport from 

a military provider who doesn’t accept Medicare, like a Veterans’ Administration 

hospital, that wouldn’t normally accept Medicare patients. 
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Seeing doctors or other providers (continued)

If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan (like an HMO or PPO) or other Medicare 

health plan, check your plan’s website or contact your plan to see what temporary 

changes to its rules will be made when services for your health plan get disrupted 

during an emergency or disaster. 

If access to health plan services gets disrupted in your area due to an emergency or 

disaster: 

• Your health plan will allow you to get care from other health care providers at 

Medicare-certified facilities, even if they aren’t in your plan’s network and your 

health care need isn’t an emergency. If you have problems using an out-of-network 

provider, contact your plan for help. 

• Your health plan won’t require you to follow your plan’s prior authorization rules for 

out-of-network services.

• If you usually pay more for out-of-network or out-of-area care, your plan will apply 

the in-network rate during the emergency or disaster period. If you go to an 

out-of-area or out-of-network provider but pay more than the in-network rate for 

the service, save the receipt and ask your plan to give you a refund for the difference. 

You should contact your plan as soon as possible to find out if there are other changes 

in plan rules and to find out when the normal rules will again apply.

Getting your prescription drugs 

If you have a Medicare drug plan and you live in an area that’s been declared an 

emergency or disaster: 

• If you can’t go to your usual network pharmacy to replace your prescription 

drugs, contact your Medicare drug plan to find another network pharmacy nearby. 

• If you had to evacuate without your prescription drugs, or your prescription drugs 

have been damaged or lost because of the emergency or disaster, contact your 

Medicare drug plan. 

• If you can’t reasonably get to a network pharmacy, your plan can help you get 

drugs during an emergency or disaster at an out-of-network pharmacy. You may 

pay more for prescription drugs you get at an out-of-network pharmacy. 
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Getting your prescription drugs (continued)

Using in-network pharmacies

• You’ll be able to move most prescriptions from one network pharmacy to another, and 

back to your regular pharmacy when the emergency or disaster ends. If you need help 

finding the closest network pharmacy, contact your Medicare drug plan.

• You’ll need to tell the new pharmacy the name of your regular pharmacy and which 

drugs you need refilled. 

• If you lost your Medicare drug plan card and don’t know your plan’s phone number, 

call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to get your plan’s contact information. 

TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048. 

Using out-of-network pharmacies 

• Contact your plan for information about its 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. 

• To get a refund from your plan, submit a paper claim. Ask your plan where you should 

send your claim. 

• If you paid full cost for the drugs, save your receipts so you can ask your plan if it will 

refund you for your costs. Note: You won’t get a refund for the out-of-network cost 

sharing amount.

Getting additional (extended-day) supplies 

If you evacuated because of an emergency or disaster and you think you won’t be able 

to return home for a long time, you may want to get an extended-day supply (a 60- to 

90-day supply) of your prescription drugs. Ask your plan whether it offers extended day 

supplies and which pharmacies you can use to get them.
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Enrolling in a Medicare health plan or prescription drug 

coverage 

If you live in an area affected by an emergency or disaster, you may have a Special 

Enrollment Period to join, switch, or drop your Medicare Advantage Plan and/or 

Medicare prescription drug coverage if the emergency or disaster prevented you from 

making an election during another qualifying election period. 

To find out if you live in an area affected by an emergency or disaster, visit the Federal 

Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) website at FEMA.gov/disasters. This website 

shows which areas are eligible for individual and/or public assistance because of an 

emergency or major disaster. 

To make enrollment changes, call the plan or 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). 

TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048. To be eligible for this Special Enrollment Period, 

you should try to have paperwork that shows that you live in an affected area (like a 

driver’s license, utility bills, etc.). If you can’t show proof, the plan must accept your word 

that you lived in an affected area.

Paying the premium for your Medicare Advantage Plan, other 

Medicare health plan, or Medicare Prescription Drug Plan 

If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan, other Medicare health plan, or Medicare 

Prescription Drug Plan, and you pay your plan’s premium directly to the plan each 

month, you’re still responsible for paying your premium on time each month.

To keep from getting disenrolled for not paying your premium on time, contact your 

plan to find out how to pay your premiums.

If your plan disenrolls you for not paying your monthly premiums and you didn’t pay 

on time because of the emergency or disaster, you may be able to ask your plan about 

getting your coverage back. 

Getting chemotherapy or other cancer treatments 

If you have Original Medicare, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) can help you find 

other cancer care providers. Call 1-800-4 CANCER (1-800-422-6237) between 

9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday. TTY users can call 1-800-332-8615. 

If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan or other Medicare health plan, contact your 

plan to see what temporary changes to its rules it will make in an emergency or 

disaster.
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Getting dialysis treatments 

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 assistance if you need it. 

Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to get your ESRD Network’s contact 

information. TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048. 

If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan or other Medicare health plan and have 

ESRD, contact your plan to see what temporary changes to its rules it will make in an 

emergency or disaster. Even though your ESRD Network can help you find facilities 

that give dialysis services, your plan may not have a contract with an ESRD facility in 

the area where you’re staying temporarily.

Replacing a lost Medicare card or Medicare plan membership 

card 

If you have Original Medicare, you can replace a lost or damaged Medicare card by 

calling 1-800-MEDICARE. 

Also, contact Social Security if you temporarily or permanently change your address. 

Visit Social Security online at socialsecurity.gov, or by calling 1-800-772-1213. 

TTY users can call 1-800-325-0778. 

If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan, other Medicare health plan, or a Medicare 

Prescription Drug Plan, contact your plan to replace a lost or damaged membership 

card. You can get your plan’s contact information by calling 1-800-MEDICARE. 
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Replacing lost or damaged durable medical equipment or 

supplies that Medicare paid for 

If you have Original Medicare and it already paid for durable medical equipment (like 

a wheelchair or walker) or supplies (like diabetic supplies) damaged or lost due to an 

emergency or disaster: 

• In certain cases, Medicare will cover the cost to repair or replace your equipment or 

supplies. 

• Generally, Medicare will also cover the cost of rentals for items (like wheelchairs)

during the time your equipment is being repaired. 

Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to get more information about how to 

replace your equipment or supplies. TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.

If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan or other Medicare health plan, contact your 

plan directly to find out how it replaces durable medical equipment or supplies 

damaged or lost in an emergency or disaster. 

Paying your premiums when Medicare bills you directly

If Medicare bills you directly for your Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance), 

Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance), and/or Part D (Prescription Drug Plan) Income 

Related Monthly Adjustment Amounts (IRMAA) premiums, but you haven’t received 

your Medicare Premium Bill (CMS-500), you can mail your payment to:

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Medicare Premium Collection Center

P.O. Box 790355

St. Louis, MO 63179-0355

Make your check payable to “CMS Medicare Insurance,” and write your Medicare 

Number on your check or money order.

If you have access to the Internet and your bank offers an online bill payment service, 

you can use this option to pay your Medicare premiums. Contact your bank to set up 

this service.

If you have questions about how much you owe, contact 1-800-MEDICARE for help. 
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For more information

• If you have Original Medicare and want more information about getting care from 

doctors or other providers during an emergency or disaster, call 1-800-MEDICARE 

(1-800-633-4227). TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048. 

• If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan or other Medicare health plan, contact your 

plan to get more information about getting care from doctors or other providers 

during an emergency or disaster. You can get your plan’s contact information by 

calling 1-800-MEDICARE. 

• If you have a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan and want more information on 

getting prescription drugs during an emergency or disaster, contact your plan, or 

call 1-800-MEDICARE. 

• You can also call your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) 

for free personalized health insurance counseling. To get the phone 

number for your SHIP, visit shiptacenter.org, or call 1-800-MEDICARE. 

You have the right to get Medicare information in an accessible format, like large print, 

Braille, or audio. You also have the right to file a complaint if you feel you’ve been 

discriminated against. Visit CMS.gov/about-cms/agency-information/aboutwebsite/

cmsnondiscriminationnotice.html, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) for 

more information. TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.
CMS Product No. 11377