A.G. Gancarski
If your prescriptions are running out, you have an opportunity Tuesday to refill them early before the Winter storm coming from the west.
The Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) is reminding Floridians and those who provide them medicine that “all health insurers, managed care organizations, pharmacy benefit managers and other health entities must comply with provisions of section 252.358, Florida Statutes, which allows for early prescription refills in the event the Governor issues an Executive Order declaring a State of Emergency.”
The OIR order further stipulates that licensed providers that “provide prescription medication coverage as part of a policy or contract shall waive time restrictions on prescription medication refills, which include suspension of electronic ‘refill too soon’ edits to pharmacies, to enable insureds or subscribers to refill prescriptions in advance, if there are authorized refills remaining, and shall authorize payment to pharmacies for at least a 30-day supply of any prescription medication, regardless of the date upon which the prescription had most recently been filled by a pharmacist.”
The Department of Health (DOH) offered similar guidance, saying it’s “working with emergency managers statewide to prepare for any impacts to communities and reminds Floridians to have enough of their prescriptions on hand in the event pharmacies are temporarily unavailable.”
“Under a state of emergency, Floridians are permitted to receive early prescription refills. An early refill may include controlled substances as long as the medical drug is not listed in Schedule II appearing in Chapter 893, Florida Statutes, of the Florida Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act,” DOH added.
DeSantis declared the immediate state of emergency (EO 25-13) effective Monday evening given the “major disaster” looming from the Panhandle to the northeastern part of the Florida peninsula,” as “all modes of hazardous winter weather will be likely, including snow, sleet, and freezing rain.”
The order notes that “snowfall totals of one to three inches are forecast for the Florida Panhandle, with locally higher amounts upwards of three to four inches possible for locations that experience periods of heavy snowfall rates; and ice accretions from the eastern Florida Panhandle through the Suwannee River Valley are forecast to reach one-tenth (0.1) to one-quarter (0.25) inch, and isolated higher ice accretions cannot be ruled out for interior North Florida locations.”
