How do I get prescribed medication without a job?

Question

I have a good job, here in FL, as an Office Manager. I am trying to plan a move to CA and do not have a job there, nor am I sure how long it will take me to land a job there.

I take a prescribed medication for MS and will, of course, have to continue taking it. This is where my questions come in. Were I not taking it I would just pack up and go and land a job with insurance as soon as I could. But I cannot do that - I need to make sure I have a way to get the medication (Avonex) coming to me seamlessly, without break. I am a 38 yr old F.

Does anyone know what the steps are that I need to take right now? I suspect it must have something to do with Medicare but I have never applied for things like that and have no idea what it consists of.

First of all, I imagine I cannot apply for that until I have moved to CA and have no job. In other words, I could not go tomorrow, here, and apply for Medicare when I am employed here, right? Also, is Medicare guaranteed to cover this for me? Thx

Answer 1

have you checked into "cobra". here in ny if you leave a job they offer you the cobra option,which is you buy your health insurance.ask your HR manager if the is such a program in florida.good luck with your move!!!

Answer 2

Here are some thoughts:
If you have a mail order provision for your insurance, then mail order a 90 day supply just before you leave to give you a buffer.
If not, ask the ins co if you can buy 90 days worth at the pharmacy, some will let you do this and pay 3 copays. It actually saves them money so most do this.
Cobra is an option if you need med coverage as well, and I'd think with MS you will.
I don't know about California state health care for unemployed folks, but I do know that federal medicare can take a long time to kick in - like 6 months or more so I wouldn't count on it as a quick option.
And here ( below ) is a link from Avonex.com with some info on getting your meds if you are needing financial help.
Be well !

Answer 3

If you can't get COBRA, try a Provider Access Organization. The dental plan I currently use is only $11.95 a month and I receive wonderful discounts on vision, prescription, dental, and chiropractic services. There are no caps or deductibles. So this may be an alternative for you until you can get insurance again. Here is some info about the plan I have.

More than 50,000 pharmacies nationwide including most national chain pharmacies, such as Eckerd, Walgreen's, and most national grocery store chains.
Includes all prescription drugs.
Includes monitoring service and drug history.
Save up to 25% on most brand-name prescription drugs.
Save up to 50% on most generic prescription drugs.
Special savings on most high volume and maintenance type drugs.
Most prescription drugs are accepted both at retail pharmacies and mail order.
Includes special prescription monitoring service for individual drug history.
Toll free number to locate independent and chain-based retail Pharmacies.
30-Day, 100% Satisfaction Guarantee.
You can also research the company website:
http://Stacie.OneSimpleCard.com or go to http://www.MyBenefitsPlus.com/40496082. I hope this information is useful for you. Have a good evening.

Answer 4

HELLO,
CHECK WITH YOUR HUMAN RESORCES PERSON TO SEE HOW TO OBTAIN COBRA INSURANCE UNTIL YOU GET A NEW JOB.
BETASERONE-1a, AKA AVONEX IS VERY EXPENSIVE OUT OF POCKET SO INSURANCE IS A MUST.
WHY DO YOU WANT TO MOVE ALL THE WAY FROM FL TO CA W/O A SOLID JOB?
SEE THE LINK BELOW FOR VALUABLE INFO ON HEALTH COVERAGE IN CA.