Here are a few things most of you likely have not thought about if/when a disaster strikes: If you should have to evacuate, how could you receive medical care where you end up? How do you replace your prescriptions if you run out or leave without them? What if you are undergoing dialysis or cancer treatments? Or need to replace damaged or lost durable medical equipment? While we probably don’t worry about these realities day-to-day, knowing what to do when needed is important information to have and should bring a measure of comfort.
Well, the good news is that those with the original Medicare can always see any doctor who accepts it. But if you have Medicare Advantage or other Medicare health plan, you will have to contact your plan, so that you can see an out-of-network doctor on an emergency basis.
More good news: You can move most prescriptions to another in-network pharmacy nearby for a while and subsequently move back to your original pharmacy when the emergency has cleared. But if you must use an out-of-network pharmacy, you’ll have to contact your Medicare drug plan.
This information should cover most of us. However, if you rely on specialty treatments, such as for cancer or dialysis, or if you should need to replace durable medical equipment, there’s help, too. Here are the links to give you a head start. You might put a copy of this article in your Go-Bag, too.
Read about how to see your doctor in a disaster or emergency.
Find out how to get dialysis in a disaster or emergency.
Find out how to get cancer treatments in a disaster or emergency.
Find out how to replace lost or damaged durable medical equipment (DME).
There is nothing like being prepared and knowing what to do in an emergency to help you weather the disasters that we all know can befall us. Brought to you by the Emergency Preparedness Committee, because we care. Visit our website at thevillagesepc.com.
