On August 1, 2024, Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 24-156, declaring a state of emergency in numerous counties across Florida in preparation for Invest 97L's projected landfall. The counties affected include Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hernando, Hillsborough, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette Lake Lee Leon Levy Liberty Madison Manatee Marion Monroe Nassau Okaloosa Orange Osceola Pasco Pinellas Polk Putnam Santa Rosa Sarasota Seminole St. Johns Sumter Suwannee Taylor Union Volusia Wakulla Walton and Washington.
The Florida Department of Health is collaborating with emergency managers statewide to prepare for potential impacts on communities and advises residents to ensure they have sufficient prescriptions on hand in case pharmacies become temporarily unavailable. Under the state of emergency declaration, Floridians are permitted to receive early prescription refills. These early refills may include controlled substances as long as the medication is not listed in Schedule II under Chapter 893 of the Florida Statutes.
Additionally,"the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has issued the following reminder to all health insurers managed care organizations and health entities:
"This notice is a reminder that all health insurers managed care organizations and other health entities must comply with provisions of section 252.358 Florida Statutes which allows for early prescription refills in the event the Governor issues an executive order declaring a state of emergency. This mandate remains in effect until the Governor’s executive order is rescinded or expires."
In accordance with section 252.358 of the Florida Statutes regarding emergency-preparedness prescription medication refills:
All health insurers managed care organizations and other entities licensed by the Office of Insurance Regulation that provide prescription medication coverage as part of a policy or contract shall waive time restrictions on prescription medication refills including suspension of electronic "refill too soon" edits to pharmacies enabling insureds or subscribers to refill prescriptions in advance if there are authorized refills remaining They shall authorize payment to pharmacies for at least a 30-day supply of any prescription medication regardless of when it was last filled by a pharmacist under these conditions:
(1) The person seeking the refill resides in a county that:
(a) Is under a hurricane warning issued by the National Weather Service;
(b) Is declared under a state of emergency by an executive order from the Governor; or
(c) Has activated its emergency operations center and management plan.
(2) The refill request occurs within 30 days after these conditions originate or until such conditions are terminated by authorities or no longer exist. The waiver period may be extended in increments by orders from the Office of Insurance Regulation.
This section does not exempt insureds or subscribers from compliance with other terms of their policy or contract providing prescription medication coverage.
About the Florida Department of Health
The Florida Department of Health regulates healthcare practitioners to preserve public health safety and welfare. Its Licensing and Regulation section provides information on professional facility and permit licensing along with enforcement details.
About the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) oversees regulation compliance and enforcement related to insurance business statutes while monitoring industry markets. For more information visit www.floir.com or follow @FLOIR_comm on X.
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