Medicare 2026

Medicare After a Hurricane, Wildfire or Other Disaster: Enrollment and Care Rules

If a hurricane, wildfire, flood, tornado or other disaster has turned your life upside down, Medicare has built-in flexibility to help you keep your coverage and get care. The rules below apply nationwide when a federal, state or local emergency or major disaster is declared. They cover people who missed a sign-up window, people who need to change plans, and people who need medical care, prescriptions or equipment in the middle of a crisis.

If you missed signing up for Part A or Part B

If an emergency or disaster declared on or after January 1, 2023 kept you from enrolling in Part B (or in premium Part A), there is a Special Enrollment Period just for that situation. It also applies if the person affected was your authorized representative, legal guardian or caregiver.

The window starts when the emergency is declared — or on the start date listed in the declaration, if that is earlier — and ends 6 months after the declaration ends. Coverage begins the month after you sign up. This can help you avoid a gap in coverage and a late-enrollment penalty when circumstances were out of your control.

If you need to change Medicare Advantage or Part D

There is a separate Special Enrollment Period for people affected by a declared emergency or major disaster who need to make Medicare Advantage or Part D changes. It starts on the declaration date or the incident start date, whichever is earlier, and ends 2 full calendar months after the incident end date. If no end date is identified, it runs at most 14 full calendar months.

To use this Special Enrollment Period you must:

• Live (or have lived at the start of the incident) in the area covered by the declaration, or rely on someone there for help making health care decisions, and
• Have missed another enrollment period you were otherwise eligible for because of the emergency.

Getting care when the system is disrupted

When a disaster or emergency is declared and access to care is disrupted, Medicare Advantage plans must:

• Cover Part A and Part B services and supplemental benefits at non-contracted facilities,
• Waive referral (gatekeeper) requirements, and
• Charge the same cost sharing you would pay in network.

These protections continue for 30 days after all declarations covering the area end, or sooner if access to care is no longer disrupted.

With Original Medicare, you can always go to any doctor or hospital that accepts Medicare, even after leaving your city or state — which many people find reassuring if they have evacuated. Original Medicare paired with a Medigap policy and a stand-alone Part D plan, and Medicare Advantage, each come with trade-offs around networks, referrals, extra benefits and out-of-pocket costs. Neither is "better" — it depends on what fits your health, budget and travel patterns.

Prescription drugs during and after a disaster

If you have Medicare drug coverage and live in a declared area, contact your plan for help with:

• Finding another in-network pharmacy,
• Replacing medications that were lost, damaged or left behind in an evacuation, and
• Using an out-of-network pharmacy when you can't reasonably reach one in network.

If you pay full price at an out-of-network pharmacy, save your receipts and ask your plan for a refund. Note that the out-of-network cost-sharing amount itself is not refunded.

Keep paying your Medicare Advantage or Part D premium during a disaster. Plans can still disenroll members for unpaid premiums.

Looking ahead to 2027, the Part D out-of-pocket cap will be $2,400 (up from $2,100 in 2026), the highest deductible any Part D plan may charge will be $700, and the Part D base beneficiary premium (used to calculate the late-enrollment penalty) will be $41.33. The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the IRMAA income brackets, had not been announced at the time of writing; CMS typically announces them in the fall.

Lost or damaged equipment and a lost Medicare card

If Original Medicare already paid for durable medical equipment or supplies — a wheelchair, walker, CPAP, oxygen equipment — that were lost or damaged in the disaster, Medicare will in most cases cover repair or replacement from a Medicare-approved supplier. Rentals of items like wheelchairs are usually covered while yours is being repaired.

If you lost your red, white and blue Medicare card, you can print or order an official replacement through your secure Medicare account at Medicare.gov.

People with Medicaid or Extra Help

Since 2025, people with Medicaid or Extra Help have a monthly Special Enrollment Period to move to Original Medicare with a stand-alone Part D plan, or to switch stand-alone Part D plans. Full-benefit dual-eligible individuals can join an integrated Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) in any month. These options exist year-round, not only after a disaster.

Annual Enrollment is still an option

Annual Enrollment (also called Open Enrollment) for 2027 coverage runs October 15 – December 7, 2026. Choices made during that window take effect January 1, 2027. If you are rebuilding after a disaster, this is another regular chance to review your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan.

Where can you get help with Medicare questions?

For personalized answers about your situation, visit Medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Have your Medicare number ready if you can. Taking the time to use these protections can keep your coverage steady while you focus on recovering.