Getting Medical Care and Prescription

Drugs in a Disaster or Emergency Area

If you live in an area that’s been declared an emergency or disaster, the usual rules for

your medical care may change for a short time.

Affected areas are ones where either: 

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

Management Agency (FEMA) online, at www.fema.gov, or call 1-800-621-FEMA 

(1-800-621-3362) to see if your area is affected. TTY users should call 1-800-462-7585.

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

official Web site to find out if your area is affected.

• The Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has

declared a public health emergency. Visit HHS online, at www.phe.gov, or call 

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

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

Seeing doctors or other providers

If you’re in Original Medicare, you may always see any doctor who accepts

Medicare. 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.

If you’re in a Medicare Advantage Plan (like an HMO or PPO) or other

Medicare health plan, contact your plan to see if it temporarily changes its rules

during an emergency or disaster. 

• You may be able to see certain doctors or go to certain hospitals that accept

Medicare patients, even if the doctor or hospital isn’t in your plan’s network and

your health care need isn’t an emergency. If you have problems using an out-ofnetwork doctor or provider, contact your plan for help.

• You may not have to meet your plan’s prior authorization rules for out-ofnetwork services.

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

apply the in-network rate during the emergency or disaster period. If your plan

agrees to apply the in-network rate and later on you go to an out-of-area or 

out-of-network provider and pay more for the service, save the receipt and ask

your plan if it will give you a refund for the difference.

★

★

★

CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES
Getting your prescription drugs

If you have a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan and your state has issued a warning

of a potential emergency or disaster:

• In general, you won’t be required to go to your usual network pharmacy to

replace your prescription drugs if you had to leave your home without your

prescription drugs, or your prescription drugs have been damaged or lost because

of the emergency or disaster. Contact your Medicare drug plan to find another

network pharmacy nearby. 

• 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.

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, call 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 should call 1-877-486-2048.

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. 

• To get a plan payment, submit a paper claim to your plan. 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 prescription

drug plan if it will refund you for the out-of-network cost sharing amount.

Additional (extended-day) supplies

If 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.

★
Paying your plan’s premium 

If you’re in 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.

• Generally, plans don’t change their normal rules for payment of monthly

premiums during an emergency or disaster. Many plans have rules about

disenrolling customers if they don’t pay their premiums on time. 

• To make sure you’re still making timely payments on your monthly premiums

during an emergency or disaster, ask your plan about signing up for premium

withholding from your Social Security check or paying the plan by electronic

funds transfer through your bank.

• 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

Medicare to reconsider the decision and get your coverage back. Contact 

1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) for more information. TTY users should

call 1-877-486-2048.

Getting dialysis treatments 

If you’re in 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 to get your ESRD Network’s contact information.

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

ESRD, contact your plan first to see if it temporarily changes its rules 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. 

Getting chemotherapy or other cancer treatments 

If you’re in Original Medicare, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) can help you

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

9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. TTY users should call 

1-800-332-8615.

If you’re in a Medicare Advantage Plan or other Medicare health plan, contact your

plan to see if it temporarily changes its rules in an emergency or disaster.

★
★

CMS Product No. 11377

Revised February 2012

Replacing a lost Medicare card or Medicare plan

membership card 

If you’re in Original Medicare, you can replace a lost or damaged Medicare card by visiting

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

should call 1-800-325-0778. Also, contact Social Security if you temporarily or permanently

change your address.

If you’re in 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 

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

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 (such as wheelchairs)

during the time your equipment is being repaired. 

If you’re in 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.

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.

• If you’re in 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

www.medicare.gov/contacts, or call 1-800-MEDICARE.