How do I get prescribed medication without a job?

	How do I get prescribed medication without a job? 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 Asked By: Florida w/ Questions - 6/20/2007

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker
Perhaps your local social services (welfare) office would help. Answered By: bgee2001ca - 6/20/2007

Additional Answers ()

See doc Answered By: dietzel362000 - 6/20/2007

Why don't you have your current prescribing doctor give you refills that will hold you over until you get new insurance? That's what most people do when they move. Answered By: btokatsh - 6/20/2007

Check the doctor or the company who makes it. Especially since its for MS> The company may be willing to give it free. I'm a nurse by the way. Answered By: Becky - 6/20/2007

There should be no trouble in getting the medication. You will just have to pay out of pocket with no insurance to help you. Let your doctor know your plans and he or she can make sure you are given a prescription to take with you and have filled as needed in CA. Good luck! Answered By: silvertonguedbard - 6/20/2007

If you go to the emergency room in any hospital they will have a Dr see you. Explain your situation to that Dr. Answered By: J B - 6/20/2007

Have a look at this website maybe they will be able to help u out https://www.pparx.org/Intro.php Answered By: Bama Gurl - 6/20/2007

Take out the maximum amount of medication you can while you still have benefits. When I left my last job for my new one, I lost my benefits and had to wait for the new ones to kick in. The pharmacy dispensed 4 months worth with only my request. Every state and medication is different in the amount that can be issued at once. Answered By: chriztina9876 - 6/20/2007

Check out the county hospital. Answered By: Tim B - 6/20/2007

Well if you are in central florida which you didn't say which part of Florida you are in....but I don't know when you are leaving either. But Sheperd's Hope may help it is out of St. Lukes Church in Orlando. They may be able to direct you in the right direction. They help people without health insurance. Check your local area. Answered By: sandy j - 6/20/2007

Welcome to the cold cruel world. Life aint fair. First of all you are extremely fortunate to have employer medical insurance. My employer opted out of medical insurance a while back & no private insurance would accept me. They said because I am overweight (350 pounds, 6 feet 1 inch) but I think it is because I am so old (age 63). So you know, employers are not required to offer medical insurance, so even if you get a new job in CA, it might be like my employer is now, no medical insurance, tough luck. Also you have a pre-existing condition, the need to take medicine for MS, so even if you get new job with a place that has medical insurance, they have the right to say they will only do insurance for anything OTHER than the MS treatment needs. Anyhow, there is some law that for some # months (HR or personnel can look it up for you) the old employer is required to continue the medical coverage in exchange for you making all the payments that would have been made if you were still on the job. If you get fired for cause, you might not be covered. I do not believe you qualify for Medicate, but you can always ask. Answered By: Al M - 6/20/2007

Don't know if this helps, but there's a program called COBRA that allows you to continue your job benefits after you quit. But you have to pay much higher premiums. Answered By: Farly the Seer - 6/20/2007

My suggestion is get the job first, then move. It will be VERY difficult to get a job with a medical condition like yours. Employers aren't supposed to be able to discriminate on a basis like that, but they often do... hiring you will increase their group insurance rates big time. So I would postpone the move until I have the new job. Use Monser.com and other such on line job sites to job hunt. Then schedule any interviews you can get over a two or three day period, then fly out to California on Southwest and do your interviews then. Don't move and hope you find something!! Look, and plan, before you leap! Answered By: Larry R - 6/20/2007

First, get the largest Rx you can before you leave. A lot of insurance plans will give you 3 months at a time through the mail. Also, some insurance will give you a "goodbye" allowance for a couple of months of your prescription. Get however much you can before you leave your job. Also, ask the doctor for as many samples as they will give you. Every little bit counts. Now, to CA, Here's the good news. You can have your doctor write you a prescription for the next year for the meds you need. You can bring that prescription to CA and get it filled at any pharmacy. You can also have exsisting prescriptions transfered to your new pharmacy, but that will take a day or a couple of days. If you transfer . . .here are some common pharmacies in CA that may also be in your home: Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aide. Here's the bad news. You'll have to pay until you get insurance of some kind to help you. I say make sure you have your meds, even if you have to use a credit card to cover the costs temporarily. When you arrive, look up and go to your local social security office or unemployment office or both and file paperwork right away. There may even be a retroactive deal where, if you qualify for medicare or medicade or medical, they will cover you retroactively to the date you file. Then, you can submit reciepts for reembursement. (I don't know for sure if they do that, but it can not hurt to ask.) You can also look up local clinics that might provide free or reduced cost doctors and medication. It won't be pretty, but it might be cheaeper or free - depends on you assets and you area. You can start looking up all the places you will want to call and visit in CA now. Use the internet phone book searches. Go ahead and call before you move. Find out what you need to do when you get there. What documents you will need to take to them when you go and things like that. You can always ask if there is anything they recommend you do, fill out, file, etc. before you move. It is good you are looking ahead. Best of luck. Answered By: Hope4 - 6/20/2007

I doubt that you mean Medicare. Medicare is for the disabled and people over sixty five. You must mean Medicaid. Which would take more time than you would have to ensure not having break in care and access to the medication free. You are under the impression that meds and healthcare is a right in this country. It is not. There are many people who cannot afford healthcare and needed medications in this country. I say, before you move to CA, and if you need this medication constantly, you better make sure that it will happen this way. Your medication is not a cheap one. And if you have MS, it is never a good idea to not know that you have healthcare at your disposal. Have you ever NOT had insurance? Because I don't think you know what you are headed for. Being jobless does not qualify you for Medicaid. Even being homeless does not qualify you for Medicaid. Being ill or having MS does not qualify you for Medicaid. Quitting a job does not even qualify you for unemployment. Answered By: tlbrown42000 - 6/20/2007

You can go on COBRA when you are not working- same insurance you had with you past employer- higher cost. You might want to do a 90 (of the drug your taking now) day mail order, if your insurance covers it before you go of it. I also have a website that may help www.pparx.org The Partnership for Prescription Assistance Medicare is for people older than 65. I think you are thinking of Medicaid. Answered By: lor - 6/20/2007

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