Being prepared for a natural disaster is crucial to protecting your safety and well-being. Visit Medicare.gov/emergency to learn how to get the care you may need if an emergency is declared and you have to evacuate to a safe area.
- Getting your prescription drugs during a disaster or emergency: You can move most prescriptions to another nearby in-network pharmacy, and back to your regular pharmacy when the emergency or disaster ends. Contact your Medicare drug plan if you need to use an out-of-network pharmacy.
- Seeing a doctor during a disaster or emergency: If you have Original Medicare, you can always see any doctor who accepts Medicare. If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan or other Medicare health plan, contact your health plan about making temporary changes, like using an out-of-network doctor during an emergency or disaster.
- Learn more about accessing critical care (like cancer treatments or dialysis) or repairing or replacing equipment (like wheelchairs or walkers that were damaged or lost during a disaster or emergency).
Rules for getting health care may change for a short time if one of these happens in your area:
- The President declares an emergency or disaster. Visit Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) or call 1-800-621-FEMA (1-800-621-3362) for a list of impacted areas. TTY users can call 1-800-462-7585.
- The Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Service (HHS) declares a public health emergency. Visit Public Health Emergency or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) for a list of impacted areas.
- A governor declares an emergency or disaster.