Hurricane Matthew Affecting Beneficiaries in Several Areas

Hurricane Matthew affected several areas along the East Coast. All updates about blanket referral waivers and emergency prescription refills will be posted here. Please check back for updates.

Do you live in a disaster declaration area that isn’t listed here? You can check by contacting:

• Your regional contractor to find out if a health care referral waiver is in place.
• Express Scripts to find out if emergency refill procedures are in place.

Also, some military hospitals and clinics along the East coast may be closed or operating with limited capacity.  Be sure to call ahead to check. >>Find a military hospital or clinic near you

Waiver of Primary Care Referral Requirements

As beneficiaries are evacuated, primary care manager referral requirements may be waived. The following waivers are issued at this time:

Location	Waiver	Effective Dates
Cuba	Waiver of referral requirements for beneficiaries enrolled in TRICARE Prime Overseas so they can get care in the U.S. or in another overseas area.	Oct. 1 - Nov. 1, 2016
Florida	Waiver of referral requirements for beneficiaries enrolled in TRICARE Prime and TRICARE Prime Remote in the Prime Service AreasGeographic areas in the U.S. where we offer TRICARE Prime. They ensure medical readiness of active duty by adding to the capability and capacity of military hospitals and clinics. Prime Service Areas were also built around the Base Realignment and Closure sites. around the 45th Medical Group, Patrick Air Force Base, FL.	Oct. 21 - Nov. 1, 2016
North Carolina	Waiver of referral requirements for beneficiaries enrolled in TRICARE Prime and TRICARE Prime Remote in the Prime Service Areas around Womack Army Medical Center, Ft. Bragg, NC.	Oct. 21 - Nov. 3, 2016

To Get Care:

Find a doctor in the area where you're evacuated to schedule an appointment.

• Active duty service members, their families and others enrolled in a Prime plan have priority for appointments at military hospitals and clinics.
• Or, you can visit any TRICARE-authorized providerAn authorized provider is any individual, institution/organization, or supplier that is licensed by a state, accredited by national organization, or meets other standards of the medical community, and is certified to provide benefits under TRICARE. There are two types of TRICARE-authorized providers: Network and Non-Network..
• Not sure if you need to see a doctor? Call the Nurse Advice Line 24/7 at 1-800-TRICARE, Option 1.

Find a Doctor

Emergency Prescription Refills

The following states have declared States of Emergency due to Hurricane Matthew and emergency prescription refill procedures are in place. 

State/Country	Counties Affected/Message	Effective Dates
Florida	Entire state	Oct. 3 - Nov. 2, 2016
Georgia	Entire state	Oct. 4 - Nov. 8, 2016
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba	Beneficiaries from Guantanamo Bay who have relocated to Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, Florida can fill prescriptions at either the NAS Pensacola military pharmacy or at any retail network pharmacy.  If a refill-to-soon override is needed, the pharmacist can contact the Express Scripts help desk for assistance.	Oct. 1 - Nov. 1, 2016
North Carolina	Entire state	Oct. 3 - Nov. 8, 2016
South Carolina	Entire state	Oct. 4 - Nov. 3, 2016

To Get An Emergency Refill:

Take your prescription bottle to any TRICARE retail network pharmacy. To find a network pharmacy:

• Call Express Scripts at 1-877-363-1303
• Search the network pharmacy locator 

If possible, visit the pharmacy where the prescription was filled.

• If you use a retail chain, you can fill your prescription at another store in that chain.
• If your provider is available, he or she may call in a new prescription to any network pharmacy.
• You can request assistance at another pharmacy, but it's at that pharmacy's discretion to help you.