However, the millions of Americans on prescription medications have more to worry about than food and water.
Will they have enough medication to weather an emergency?
Will they be able to pick up their refills on time?
MJ_Prototype / Getty Images
What can they do to be sure they have the medications they need when they need them?
It is human nature to want to protect yourself and your loved ones.
However, it is also important to be rational about your decisions.
Hoarding medications, depending on how its done, can be costly and even dangerous.
Medications have expiration dates.
It may be reasonable to consider a one-month supply as a backup.
More than that could be potentially wasteful.
Get Early Refills
You cannot refill your medications whenever you want.
This is one way to stockpile medication.
However, some insurance companies will not refill medications based on cumulative early refills.
There may be valid reasons to get an early prescription refill.
Perhaps you lost your medication or are going away on vacation.
Perhaps your mail-order delivery will not arrive in time and you would otherwise be forced to miss doses.
Some health plans may even have provisions for travel exceptions and emergency exceptions that override their usual prescription rules.
Otherwise, your practitioner will need tomake a plea to the insurer directlyto cover any early refills.
Ohio first passed the legislation in 2015.
However, your insurance plan may not pay for it.
This leaves you to pay out of pocket.
Not everyone can afford this option.
Generic medications are generally more affordable and can be purchased throughdiscount drug programslike those offered by Walmart.
Brand-name medications, however, may be out of financial range for many people.
Alternatively, you’re free to reach out to your insurance company about getting an extra refill covered.
If your health plan has an emergency exception, this should be straightforward.
If it does not, the insurer can choose to deny coverage for extra medication.
Missing doses of your medications to save them for later puts your health at risk.
Despite the risks, however, many Americans ration medications and put their lives on the line.
It is often because they cannot afford their medications.
This included skipping doses, taking less medication than prescribed, or delaying prescription refills.
Among people with disabilities, the percentage was 20%.
Perhaps one of the biggest examples of this is seen in people who have diabetes.
Unfortunately, the price of insulin has increased considerably over the past decade.
TheJAMA Internal Medicinestudy noted that insulin prices had tripled in the United States over the previous decade.
you’re able to assure that you will have what you need when you need it.
On a societal level, the opposite is true.
If everyone were to hoard medications or medical supplies, this could lead to unnecessary shortages.
The shortage offace masksduring the COVID-19 pandemic is one example of this.
However, healthy people panicked and hoarded the masks anyway.
The CDC published a list of counterfeit masks that are not NIOSH-approved.
There are safe and unsafe ways to go about it.
you might take a stab at work with your healthcare provider and insurer to get an emergency refill.
What you should not do is ration your medications to save them for later.
Your health is too important.
Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy.Medication stockpiling.
Drug Enforcement Administration, Diversion Control Division.Section IX valid prescription requirements.
Ohio House of Representatives.Gov.
DeWine signs ‘Kevin’s Law 2.0,’ helping patients with emergency prescription refills.
NCHS Data Brief, no 470.
Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.
- doi:10.15620/cdc:127680
KFF.KFF health tracking poll February 2019: Prescription drugs.
World Health Organization.Shortage of personal protective rquipment endangering health workers worldwide.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Counterfeit respirators / misrepresentation of NIOSH approval.
