When the president, governor or secretary of Health and Human Services declares a disaster or a public health emergency, we will act to assure that our Medicare Advantage members in the affected areas can get the medical care and prescription drugs that they need.

The actions we will take include:

• Covering Medicare Part A and Part B services, as well as services covered through supplemental plan benefits, at out-of-network hospitals and other facilities
• Assuring members have the same cost-sharing they would have for services provided in-network
• Waiving all requirements for referrals by primary care providers
• Removing prescription drug limitations such as “Refill too soon” rejections that would prevent replacing lost medications, and allowing the use of out-of-network pharmacies if warranted by the situation

We make all of these changes effective immediately, and they will remain in effect until:

• The president, governor or secretary of Health and Human Services declares that the public health emergency or disaster has ended, or
• 30 days have passed since the disaster or emergency was declared, and no end date has been identified

If Health Partners Medicare is affected by the disaster and cannot resume operations by the end of the disaster or public health emergency, we will notify the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and will update our website as soon as possible to provide information about Health Partners Medicare’s operational capabilities.

Please check our website for additional information about our actions specific to any declared disaster or public health emergency.